RE: Percy Jackson and the Curse of Echidna
by MStormwriter
Summary: The end of the world started when Thalia showed up in homeroom. Camp Half-Blood has received a list of undiscovered demigods and their parents, and there are fifty of them at Goode. Now Percy and Thalia have to save the demigods from the new Principal, Echidna, and the evil daughter of Hecate, Helen. Remake of my story "Percy Jackson and the Curse of Echidna".
1. Chapter 1

**It's finally here! RE: Percy Jackson and the Curse of Echidna. To old followers, welcome to this reboot. To new people, you don't need to read the original to understand this. So, RE: Percy Jackson and the Curse of Echidna. I still don't have a cover. However, I realized that the timeframe I gave people was, perhaps, a bit unrealistic, so I'm extending it until the beginning of the new year. You can get the full info on the "You-Create-the -Cover" contest on my page. So, if you've read the original, I would advise you read this one for a few reasons. 1) it's better. 2) there have been changes made to the canon of my story. 3) it'll give you something to hold you over until I end my hiatus on the Stolen Spellbook and reboot that one too.**

**So, without further ado, here you go.**

RE: Percy Jackson and the Curse of Echidna

Chapter 1: Thalia Sits Next to Me in Homeroom

The end of the world started when Thalia showed up in homeroom. Up until that point, my day had been pretty normal. I had woken up at five forty-five, showered, changed, ate a bowl of cereal, and rode to school with Paul. I went to the office and got my locker assignment and schedule. I found my locker and taped a picture of Annabeth to the door, then set off for homeroom; I had Paul as my homeroom teacher.

Once I got there I took a random seat and waited for the bell to ring. At precisely seven o' clock the homeroom bell rang. Paul started about the normal, start-of-the-school-year business, introducing himself, handing out different forms, so on and so forth.

Finally, he got to roll call. "Abigail Bridges?"

"Here," said girl in the first row responded.

He did this for a bit and I lost interest, being ADHD and all. That was, until he called a name I recognized. "Thalia Grace?"

I snapped to attention. Thalia?_ There must be some mistake, _I thought. _I must've misheard him, that's all. Thalia can't be here._

Again he called, "Thalia Grace?"

Again I tried to convince myself that I had misheard him, and that was it was all in my head. Unfortunately, what happened next, proved my misheard theory wrong. The door to the classroom burst open, and in walked a girl with spiky black hair, electric blue eyes, black jeans, and a death to Barbie t-shirt. She wore a silver bracelet, but her silver tiara, marking her as Artemis's lieutenant, was gone. Thalia Grace really was here at Goode.

Somehow, I knew that the reason she was here could not be anything good (Ha, ha. Good, Goode. HA!). Thalia was here for a reason, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what it was. It would probably just get me into a mess. I had just defeated Kronos a few weeks ago. I was tired of monster fighting. All I wanted to do was relax and, for once, maybe have a normal school year. Annabeth was going to school in the city to, which meant seeing her every once in a while would've been possible. Thalia, though, shattered my hopes for a normal school year.

Not that I wasn't pleased to see her. She was a good friend, and an excellent fighter. Though we'd had our differences in the past, since becoming the lieutenant of Artemis, we had gotten along much better than we used to.

"Sorry I'm late," Thalia was saying. "I'm Thalia, and I'm here."

"It's alright," Paul said, marking her off. "Um... take that seat next to Percy, he's the one back there in with the dark hair."

"Thank you," Thalia said. She nodded to Paul and went to the back of the room where I was sitting. I must have had a really stupid, surprised expression on my face, because when Thalia sat down she said, "You have no idea how much of a seaweed brain you look right now."

"Thalia," I said, "what are you doing here?"

"Well I-"

But she was interrupted by the intercom. A girl's voice came over the speakers. "Hello and good morning. It is Tuesday, September eighth, a wonderful day to start out the school year! I am Helen Kazam, your new school morning announcer!" Helen sounded just a bit too happy for a teenager at seven fifteen, but I didn't say anything. "Today's lunch is chicken casserole. It sounds like a delicious lunch!" I didn't agree. Last year on chicken casserole day, I could have sworn I saw mine move. "When teachers are done with role call, please bring your students to the auditorium. It's time to meet the new principal. Yay!" _Woo-hoo, _I thought sarcastically. _That's something to get excited about_. "Have a fantabulous day!"

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Did she just say 'fantabulous'?"

I snorted. "I think so."

Paul finished roll call and we all headed towards the auditorium. It was a big, dimly lit room. There were three empty seats and a podium on the stage up front. The seats were like movie theater ones, except without the cup holders. _Dang, I really like cup holders._ Thalia and I sat next to each other in the back, where we could talk without being overheard.

"So," I said. "Did you come to recruit more hunters or what?"

"No," Thalia said. "Yesterday Camp Half-Blood received a list of undiscovered demigods and their parents. There were so many, Grover nearly fainted. The satyrs simply don't have the manpower –"

"Goatpower," I interrupted.

"– to get all of them without aid," Thalia said. "What you did, making the gods swear to claim their children, that was great. But it seems like they've decided to claim them all at once."

"I see," I said. "But where do the Hunters fit into all this?"

"They don't," Thalia said. "But I do. The other Hunters aren't huge fans of helping Camp Half-Blood out, as you know."

I knew all too well. I remembered the intense and bitter rivalry in the game of capture the flag that we'd played back when I was 14. Since Thalia had taken over, the Hunters had been a little better, but there was only so much she could do to change their mind-set.

"So when I heard what was happening, I took a leave of absence from the Hunters in order to help where I was most needed," Thalia finished, glancing at me.

It took me a moment to work it out, but I realized she was talking about Goode. "Here? Why?"

"Because," Thalia said, "about fifty of the demigods on the list attend Goode. We have to get them out of here and safely to Camp Half-Blood."

I suddenly remembered some words that Paul had said during my freshman orientation, _We get a lot of kids here with ADHD and dyslexia_. "That doesn't sound so bad, though," I said. "We just find them, take them to camp, and done. Easy as pie."

Thalia didn't look so convinced, but I was sure of myself. It sounded as though Thalia had the list, so it was just a matter of finding the kids. It wasn't going to be a problem.

How wrong I was.

Two of the three seats on the stage were now occupied. In one sat the superintendent, in another the vice principal. The third chair was still empty. A girl stepped up onto the stage, going up to the microphone. She must have been new, because I didn't recognize her from last year. She had dark brown hair and was a little on the tall side. She wore blue jeans and a gray t-shirt with a picture of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Grover would have had a fit. Her eyes were, well I shouldn't have been able to tell their color from the back, but I could. They were yellow, and I could have sworn they were glowing. That made me nervous. Glowing eyes was not a normal thing. Most of the time, glowing eyes were a signal that the person was a monster or a god, or something else...

I exchanged looks with Thalia, and could tell that she was thinking the same thing. We turned our attention back to the stage. The girl spoke into the microphone. "Hello everyone, it's me, Helen! How excited are you for the new school year?" There were some mumbles. "I can't hear you! Louder!"

Suddenly I felt the urge to yell at the top of my lungs how excited I was, even though I wasn't that excited, but I held myself back. Everyone else though, did shout at the top of their lungs about how excited they were. Only Thalia and I refrained.

Now I knew something was up. Thalia knew too. Whoever that was had just manipulated the minds of the entire audience. I pulled out my deadly pen, Riptide, and tapped my knee. Thalia fiddled with her mace container, which I knew expanded into a spear. We were ready for a fight.

After the yelling and cheering died down, Helen continued. "That's awesome! I know that I'm looking forward to this school year too! Now, let me introduce our new principal, Mrs. E!"

Again I felt the urge to cheer, but I stopped myself. Again, everyone, but Thalia and I, cheered like maniacs. Then, onto the stage, stepped someone I hoped I would never see again, a fat woman in a dress and overlarge hat. With her, was a dog, a "chihuahua". I found myself looking at one of the first monsters I had ever faced, along with my first major defeat. Echidna was the new principal.

She approached the microphone and Helen stepped away. They said a few words, then Helen went and sat in the empty chair. Echidna turned towards the students. She caught my eye, and smiled darkly. Then she looked away and addressed the entire auditorium. "Hello, everyone. As Helen so well introduced me, I am Mrs. E."

"What's the E stand for?" some guy in the audience yelled.

"That's not important dear," she sounded sweet and kind, but there was also a hint of danger underneath the voice. The guy shut up. "As I was saying," Echidna continued. "I am Mrs. E, your new principal. I'm sure we'll all be the best of friends. I only ask one thing of you. That you _all_ do as I say. Understood?" The dangerous tone was still in her voice, and I think that even through the Mist, these mortals could sense that she was not to be trifled with. "Now, you'll notice some new staff members throughout the building over the course of the year. Don't be worried, none of your favorite teachers will be fired. I am simply hiring more people. We have quite the surplus in our budget." That was a lie, and everyone should've known it, but at this point I doubted anyone did.

"I bet they're all going to be monsters," I muttered to Thalia.

She looked at me, confused. "What do you mean?"

I rolled my eyes. "_Now_ who's the seaweed brain. That's Echidna. She probably found out about all the demigods here and is trying to kill them all."

"But-" Thalia said. "But – she, well, she works for Zeus. Why would she be here trying to take out these students?"

"I don't know," I muttered. "But I don't think she's working for your dad anymore. When I met her, she asked me why I continued to be a puppet of the gods. That doesn't sound like someone who works for the gods."

"Dad only spared her as a challenge to future heroes," Thalia muttered. "_If_ she has turned against Zeus, then why is she still alive?"

I shrugged. "Maybe Zeus doesn't know yet. I don't know."

Echidna cleared her throat. "The two of you in the back, will come to my office after school today." Everyone turned towards us, and I felt my cheeks get slightly warm. I gritted my teeth. _I'll be there,_ I thought. "Now," Echidna continued. "I was saying that I hope for test score to improve dramatically over the course of this school year. Goode will be the best school in the state. Again, I would like to thank the school-board for hiring me. It is an honor and a privilege to serve you as your new principal."

There was some half-hearted clapping as Helen came back up to the microphone. "Let's hear another big round of applause for Mrs. E!" Again, everyone instantly started clapping and cheering as loudly as they could. I was really unnerved now. What was going on? "Alright everyone, report to your first period class. Have a great day!"

Thalia and I waited until the crowds rushing for the doors had died down, before we headed off. "So," I said, trying to keep to normal conversation, "what do you have for first period?"

Thalia pulled out her schedule and squinted. "Um, I think that it says... Damn dyslexia. Um... physical education?"

I chuckled. "Not used to the whole school thing, huh?"

"Well I ran away when I was young, then I was trapped in a tree for like… I don't know, half a decade?"

"About."

"After that, it was camp, then Hunters. So no, I've not exactly had the time to get used to the whole school thing."

I decided to change the subject. "What do you think Echidna wants?"

"I don't know, but I think we'll have to show up, don't you?"

I nodded. "Just be ready to kick some ass when we get there."

Thalia smiled. "I'm _always_ ready to kick some ass."

I smiled too. "See you later."

"Wait," Thalia said. "Which way's the gym?"

I pointed in the right direction. She nodded her thanks and headed off.

* * *

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I went to all of my classes, not paying attention to anything, of course. I ate a disgusting cafeteria lunch. I lost when we played dodge ball in gym. And I signed up for the school's swim team. _What an unfair advantage for the other team,_ I thought, laughing manically inside my head. Finally the two o' clock dismissal bell rang. I started towards the principal's office, when I heard someone call from behind me, "Percy!"

It was Paul. I stopped and waited for him. When he caught up, he said, "I'm very disappointed that you got in trouble on your first day of school. What were you doing, who were you talking to?"

I sighed. "Look, Paul. I can't explain right now. I'll tell you and mom at home."

Paul nodded, as if that satisfied him. He really was a very cool guy. "Alright Percy, as soon as we get home. I'll wait for you out in the car."

"Thanks," I said. "See you in a bit." Paul walked off. I had wanted to explain to him right there that the new principal was a monster, but it didn't seem like the time.

Then a harsh voice came over the intercom. Echidna had dropped the sweet voice act apparently. "Percy Jackson, to the principal's office! Now!"

I sighed again, then set off down the hall. When I got to the main office, the secretary pointed me towards the door in the back. I walked over to it, then knocked. "Come in," Echidna called, resuming her sweet voice act.

Once I had opened the door and closed it behind me, I looked at the office. The room was dimly lit. Thalia sat in a chair facing the desk. Sitting behind the desk, was fat ol' Echidna herself. On her desk were lots of pictures, all of monsters. Her children I realized. Behind her hung a picture of her husband, Typhon. I remembered my first good look at him. He had been terrifying. He still was terrifying in picture form.

"Sit _down_," Echidna said harshly, once again dropping the sweet voice.

I sat in the chair next to Thalia. She was glaring angrily at Echidna. "What do you want Echidna? Why are you here? My father wouldn't have sent you here."

"No indeed," Echidna snarled. "I do not serve the Olympians anymore Miss Grace." Thalia gritted her teeth at the use of her last name. "I serve a new master. He promised me and my children free reign, to do whatever we want, whenever we want, to any heroes we wish, as long as we obey him. Zeus never gave me such freedom. I am here, because my master wants me here. And I obey, because of the promise of freedom."

"That and you probably want revenge on the gods for taking down your husband," I said.

Echidna snarled. "Listen, boy! Your father is the reason for that! If I could, I would tear him apart! But that job belongs to another."

"Who?" I asked.

"None of your business," she snapped.

"Who's your master anyway?" Thalia asked.

"None of your business!" Echidna snapped again.

"Why are we here?" Thalia asked. "Why aren't you attacking us? Too scared?"

Echidna smiled. "Well, the time is not right, is it? No, it is not the time for me to slay either of you. As for your other question, I just wanted to tell you that I know about your little list. I don't know the exact names of the students that are on that list, but I will find them, and kill them all. And when I've done that, when I've broken your spirit, then I'll kill you, too."

"You're wrong," I said. "We'll stop you."

Echidna smiled. "We'll see, my dear. As you know, I am the principal now. Do anything that I could find a reason to expel you for, then the school board won't stop me. Also, Chimera is here. You remember him, don't you?"

I grimaced. Of course I remembered Chimera.

"That is all," Echidna said.

Thalia and I left the office. "We can still do it," I said. "Echidna will make it harder for us, but we can still save them. All of them."

Thalia nodded grimly. "But we'll have to be careful and secretive about safely removing the demigods. I don't want to know what the inside of the Chimera looks like."

I nodded. "Echidna's going to be watching us closely now."

Thalia said, just as we stepped out of the building, "Looks like we'll have quite a few monsters to slay."

"Just like old times," I murmured.

Thalia laughed. "Just like old times."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: _Got Magic?_

The door to our apartment closed behind me as I stepped inside. Mom was back in the bedroom, writing her novel. Paul went back to get her so that I could explain why I had been sent to the principal's office to both of them. I left my backpack by the door, and pulled off my sneakers, then I sat on the sofa and waited. I had to decide what to say. I already knew that it would have to be the truth, but how to phrase it would be the challenge. See, I didn't want my mom too worried about me. She'd been worried, almost too much, by the events of just a couple of weeks ago. And now I was in danger again, along with many other kids.

Paul and my mom stepped out into the living room. Paul sat in the chair across from me, and mom sat at the other end of the couch. Mom spoke first. "Percy, Paul tells me that you got in trouble at school today. What happened?" Her voice wasn't angry, just disappointed, which was somehow even worse.

I sighed. "Paul, Mom, what I'm about to tell you is hard, and hard to believe. But I swear on the river Styx that I'm not making this up." Thunder rumbled in the distance. "Remember back to my first summer knowing who I really was? The summer I was blamed for stealing the Master Bolt?"

"When I was imprisoned by Hades?"

I nodded. Paul cleared his throat. "Um… hang on. Did you just say you were imprisoned by Hades?"

Mom nodded. "Yes, dear. But I don't remember any of it. I was in a kind of trance. It was like I was asleep."

"Anyway," I continued. "On the way out west to confront Hades, Annabeth, Grover, and I travelled through St. Louis. We had a train layover to wait for, so we decided to go see the arch."

"Hang on," Paul interrupted. "What does this have to do with getting sent to the principal's office?"

"I'm getting there," I said. "Well, anyway, At the arch I ran into the mother of all monsters, literally. You know, Echidna. And she had the Chimera with her. Well… there was a bit of a fight, and we exploded the side of the arch."

"I seem to remember something about that… must've been… four years ago," Paul muttered.

"That would be right," I said. Paul was great, and I could understand his interjections, but really, Mom was a way better audience for a story. She was just looking at me, waiting for me to continue. "Anyway, I was forced to leap into the river and escape. I haven't seen Echidna since then. That is… until today."

"What do you mean?" asked Mom, always knowing the right time to intervene.

"The new principal, it's her, Echidna. I ended up in the principal's office today so that she could threaten me and Thalia."

"The new girl?" Paul asked.

"New to you," I said. "But I've known Thalia for a long time. She was at the battle against Kronos a couple weeks ago. Mom knows her too."

"Why is Thalia at Goode?" Mom asked. "Isn't she Artemis's Lieutenant?"

"Yes," I said, "but she's taking a leave of absence to help out Camp Half-Blood. You see, there are 50 half-bloods at Goode. We have to get them out before Echidna can kill them. Or us," I added as an afterthought.

Mom frowned, looking worried but she looked at Paul and nodded. "Okay Percy, we believe you," Mom said.

We sat there in silence. Paul and Mom went into the kitchen to get dinner ready. I sighed. I needed to tell Annabeth about this, she'd know what Thalia and I should do. I picked up the wireless phone set and walked back into my bedroom. I dialed the number I had had memorized for years; Annabeth's cell phone number.

After a couple of rings, she picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Annabeth, it's me."

"Me who?" Annabeth joked.

"Not funny."

She laughed. I really wished we could be face to face right now, but today wasn't a great day. "So what's up Seaweed Brain? Miss me so much you couldn't bear to go a day without me?"

I sighed. "If it was only that, all my problems would be solved." Then I quickly added, "But I do miss you!" I could practically see Annabeth rolling her eyes. "Anyway, Annabeth, I've got to tell you some bad news. You remember my fight with Echidna?" I basically told her everthing that had happened today. It was all news to her. Apparently she didn't know Thalia would be coming either. And when I told her about the weird girl, Helen, she muttered something I couldn't really make out very well. "So yeah," I concluded. "That just about sums it up."

"Hmm," Annabeth said. "Interesting. The girl, Helen. From your description she sounds like a girl who was in the Hermes cabin way back when. She left camp shortly before you arrived. If I remember right, she was our age. I don't know what she's up to, but it can't be good. As for Echidna's boss, I really don't know Percy. Whoever they are, they must be a god or a titan or something."

"That's what I thought. But who could it be?"

"I don't know, that's what's unsettling for me. I _hate_ not knowing."

"I noticed," I murmured.

She pretended she didn't hear me. "I just can't think of a likely god or titan to fill the role. All the gods that were on Kronos's side got pardoned. The other titans went back into hiding. I can't think of any titans that would do it."

"Right. Well thanks Annabeth. See you Saturday?"

"What do you think Seaweed Brain?"

I smiled. "See you then."

"Okay... and Percy?"

"What?"

Annabeth hesitated. Usually she was great with her words, but right now she seemed to be struggling. "Never mind. I'll see you Saturday."

"What is it?"

"Bye," Annabeth said, and she hung up. That was weird. I hoped nothing was wrong. I contemplated calling her back, but if it had been something serious, she would've told me.

"Percy!" my mom called. "Dinner's ready!"

I sighed and put down the phone. What had Annabeth wanted to talk to me about?

* * *

I arrived at school the next morning, feeling worse than I had last night. I stumbled to my locker and dropped off a few things, then went off to homeroom, planning to go to sleep as soon as I got in there. Thalia had other plans.

"Seaweed Brain!"

"What?" I groaned. Thalia had just rudely awakened me from my morning nap.

"Wake up! We have stuff we need to go over." I forced myself alert. Thalia was sitting at the desk next to mine, holding a piece of paper in her hand. "I have the list of names of demigods in the school. As I said yesterday, we'll have to be careful. We can't pull them all out at once. We might have to wait until some monster's attack them."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous for them?" I asked.

Thalia grunted. "Well of course it is, but it's also the only way for us to get them out of here without having to face Echidna and the Chimera. I know it sounds crazy, but if we pull them out too quickly, then Echidna will just go after us directly, instead of taking her time to slowly figure out who the half-bloods are. This is the best option we have. For them, and for us. Now, I was also thinking-"

But Thalia couldn't tell me what she was thinking, because just then, Helen came on with the announcements. "Hello! It's Wednesday! YAY!" Everyone cheered. I got that feeling again, like I wanted to cheer too. Who was this girl? "Alright, a few announcements. Today's lunch is hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. Mmmm, sounds good. All tryouts for sports are today, afterschool. Alright, that's all. Have a terrific Tuesday!"

Thalia glared at the speaker in the ceiling. "Who is she?"

"I don't know," I said. "Annabeth said that someone who matches Helen's description used to go to camp before I arrived. She was in the Hermes cabin, but I doubt that's because she was Hermes's daughter. She was probably unclaimed. I don't know who she's daughter of, but she is_ definitely_ a demigod."

Thalia thought about that. "So, an unclaimed daughter of someone was crammed in the Hermes cabin, and left shortly before you arrived. She's alive still, somehow... I know! She was probably part of Kronos's demigod army. That's how she survived for those years. Now though... hmm... Well, she's working for Echidna now-"

"Or Echidna is working for her," I interrupted.

"-and Echidna is working for someone mysterious. We don't know for sure who it is. It's probably a Titan sympathizer, but who?"

I shrugged. "None of the minor gods, they've all returned back to Olympus, they're with the gods now."

"Yeah, I remember, part of your gift: All the minor gods getting respect and full pardons."

"Right," I said. "So it can't be any of them."

"We don't know that for sure, there could still be a really angry minor god out there, we just don't know of one that might betray the gods at this point."

"Anyway, what about one of the other Titans, you know, the ones that got away."

"Oceanus has been found, and sent to a prison underneath the ice cap. Prometheus has also been found, and returned to his previous punishment. Hyperion is trapped in that tree still."

"What about that ram dude? What's his name? Krios! What about him?"

"Krios? I don't know. From talking to Artemis, I get the sense that he's been taken care of, but she's awfully vague about it. It's almost like the gods are trying to hide something…"

"Maybe they never caught him?" I suggested.

"Maybe…" Thalia didn't sound convinced. "But… I mean, well… Wouldn't they want a quest of demigods to take care of him? Krios isn't one of the more powerful Titans, and the gods tend to use demigods for whatever they don't feel like doing."

"True," I said. "But… I don't know. I can't shake the feeling that he must be involved somehow."

Thalia shrugged. "I'll try to think of some other options." Then, homeroom ended. Thalia turned to me as we got up to leave. "Take the list Percy. I've got another copy with me. If you find any of these kids, tell me immediately. I'll do the same if I find any. Meet me afterschool outside the locker rooms. We've got more to talk about, but I've got tryouts to go to."

"Really? What sport?"

Thalia grinned wickedly. "Boxing."

I snorted. Yep, that's Thalia all right. I was glad to see that she was starting to fit in, though. It was only the second day, and already Thalia was starting to get involved. For never having been to high school before, that was pretty good. Even though she was only here on a cover mission, it still felt like she was almost a normal high schooler. Almost.

* * *

I pretty much aced everything in the try out for the swim team. I went to the locker room and changed, quickly. There were some guys on the boxing team talking about how a girl had joined, and kicked all of their butts. I laughed inwardly. Thalia certainly was capable.

After I had changed, I walked outside the locker room and waited for Thalia. What did she want to talk to me about? I sat down with my back against the wall. I started daydreaming, and I dozed off.

"Well, well," a voice said. I started. I rubbed my eyes. I thought that it would be Thalia, but it wasn't. It was that Helen girl. Today she wore jeans and a black shirt with "_Got Magic?"_ written on it in white letters. "If it isn't Perseus Jackson."

"What do you want?" I asked, curious. I didn't know who she was, or what she was up to, but it seemed important to find out, even in my slightly groggy state.

"Me? I want to know why Mrs. E didn't kill you yesterday. So inconsiderate of her, always leaving me to clean up her messes."

"What are you talking about?" I was beginning to be awake enough to realize that this was soon to become a fight. "Who are you?"

Helen smirked. "Helen, demigod daughter of Hecate, goddess of magic. One of Kronos's head demigods in the war."

"What do you want?" I asked again. "I mean, besides killing me."

"Revenge," she told me. "I hate the gods, especially my mother. Kronos should have won! But you, you interfered! If it hadn't been for you, Kronos would have won, despite what happened on Mt. Othrys." That line confused me. I'd been told it had crumbled after Kronos fell, but what she had said made it sound like it had been destroyed independently of him. "But that doesn't matter," Helen continued. "My new master will do what Kronos couldn't. He will rise up and defeat the gods, despite his recent fallback. Then, he will install me as the _new_ goddess of Magic."

"And who is your new master?" I asked.

"Spoilers," Helen said with a wink. "I will say this. Though it looked like he'd been defeated, he is rising again, far more quickly than Kronos would've dreamed possible."

That proceeded to confuse me further. Who was this Titan/god/monster? I felt something else too, though. Something unexpected. I felt anger, but it wasn't normal anger. I wasn't angry at her for being evil, or for fighting against the gods. I just felt anger. Anger I was sure was not my own.

"Hey Percy," came a voice. Thalia was approaching from the direction of the girl's locker room. "Get up off the floor." She pulled out her mace canister and expanded it into her spear.

"Thalia Grace," said Helen with a mock bow. "I've heard all about you. Luke talked about you a lot. Daughter of Zeus, one of the most powerful demigods alive today, and immortal lieutenant of Artemis. It's an honor."

"Wish I could say the same," Thalia said. "But I've never heard of you."

"Don't mind me," I said, "just hanging out here on the floor."

Helen drew her sword, which I'd not seen hanging on her hip before. "Well then, Jackson, I suggest you get up. Let's see how my powers match up against the famous Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace."

She swung her sword at me. I rolled away just in time to see Thalia stab at Helen with her spear. Helen deflected it quickly with her sword, but then had to spin around to intercept me as I drew Riptide and entered the battle. With a flurry of slashes and stabs, hacks and blocks, Helen proved she was an equal match for Thalia and I combined. That worried me. She was good. _Really_ good. And me? My sword fighting skills had become a bit rusty. I hadn't had opponents that were really good at sword fighting since… well, since Luke.

Thalia must've been thinking along the same lines as me, because she decided it was a good time to activate her secret weapon: her shield Aegis. The face of Medusa sprung up on her wrist. Helen flinched, which Thalia used as an opportunity to bash her in the face with her shield.

Helen straggered backwards. I ran up to slash her, but my blade passed through empty air. The sound of Helen's laughter came from behind us. We spun around. Helen had teleported away to take a breather. What she did next was very much a jedi-esque move: she thrust out her hand, and we flew backwards and smashed into the wall. Then she snapped her fingers, and fire sprung up around us. She laughed. "Now my fire will consume you!"

My retort: "You wish!"

But honestly, I didn't know what to do. Me being Poseidon's son would protect me for a while, but not forever. And what about Thalia? Then I saw that we were standing in front of the door to the girls' locker room. I concentrated on the water that was surely in there, the sinks, the toilets, the showers. I felt a tug in my gut. The fire loomed closer. Thalia and I backed up until we were right against the door. And then... there was an explosion of water from the girls' locker room. The fire, Helen, Thalia, and everything else were doused with water. I was filled with energy. I swung at Helen. I felt her trying to disappear (the water covering her had somehow given me that information). I couldn't let that happen. I concentrated, and used the water to block her teleportation. She was caught off guard, and was merely able to only deflect my blade. I cut a gash across her arm.

_I intercepted with Riptide, but his strike was so powerful, my blade could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirtsleeve and grazed my arm._

Where did that flashback come from? Helen used my distraction to her advantage and attacked. Her blade glanced off my stomach, and I stumbled backwards. Helen smiled. "Well, well Jackson, an admirable first test. You pass. But there will be many more to come. Mark my words Jackson, one day you will fail."

There was a huge puff of smoke, and she disappeared. Thalia and I exchanged nervous glances. "That was-"

"Not good," Thalia finished. "We'd better get out of here before we're caught and blamed for the water damage. I nodded in agreement. We left the school in a hurry.

* * *

That night I had a dream. I was in the ruins of the Titan's fortress on Mt. Othrys. A holographic image of Helen stood in front of a dark shape. In the background I could see and hear Atlas struggling with the sky.

The image of Helen started to speak, and I immediately snapped my attention to her. "Jackson was quite formidable, my lord. But he won't be a problem once Echidna and I finish our work."

The dark shape grunted. "Yes, I am sure he is. He did defeat our lord Kronos. But, surely he is not worse than Garce." The shape snarled. "Grace will pay for humiliating me. But, no matter, your counterpart will handle Grace."

A look of disgust crossed Helen's face. "Of course, my lord."

"I know of your hatred for her, but Andromeda is a useful ally. Ah, I am tired, and I must save my energy for my continuing restoration."

"Yes, of course, my lord," Helen said. "Anything I should tell Echidna?"

"Tell her that she doesn't get free reign until _after_ you've handled the Jackson problem."

Helen nodded, and the hologram disappeared. The dark shape spoke again. "Jackson, I sense your presence. I cannot see yet, as my eyes have yet to regenerate, but I thought I should address you, alone. Sleep well tonight, because you won't have many more nights of good sleep. I know the truth about you, Jackson. The one that you don't even know. But enough, I grow weary. Sweet dreams, Jackson."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Bonnie and Clyde

The next day in homeroom, after Helen's annoying announcements, I told Thalia about my dream. As I told her about it her eyebrows knit closer and closer together. When I finished she was silent for a moment. "So," she said finally, "whoever we're dealing with could sense when you visited in your dreams. Also, you said something about Helen having a counterpart that was assigned with taking care of me?"

"Right," I said. "The shadowy dude said that someone named Andromeda had been assigned to take you out."

"What exactly did he say?" Thalia asked. "It might give us a clue about who he is, or who this Andromeda is."

"He said - " I racked my brain to remember. "He said, 'Grace will pay for humiliating me. But, no matter, your counterpart will handle Grace.'"

"I don't remember fighting anyone like that," she said. "Funny how he refused to use my first name, though."

I shrugged. "Not really. Usually people I've made enemies of just call me Jackson, probably the same sort of thing. What we need to do is figure out who has a grudge against you so that we can narrow down the list of possibilities. We also need to keep an eye out for this Andromeda, whoever she is."

"Wow," Thalia said. "I see Annabeth is rubbing off on you."

I chuckled. "Good. I could use being smarter."

"You're right, though," Thalia said. "I'll try to come up with a list of people, gods, titans, and monsters that have a grudge against me. Hopefully we can narrow who it might be down to just a couple of possibilities."

I nodded. Then, my ADHD brain supplied me with a random question. "Hey, Thalia, you never said where you were staying. Where are you staying? Not Camp, the commute would be hell."

"No, you're right," she said. "I'm on the streets."

"What? That's awful!"

"Chill, Seaweed Brain," Thalia said. "I lived on the streets for years; I know how to take care of myself. Plus, with any luck, this little side-mission won't take very long and I can rejoin the Hunters."

I frowned. "That doesn't sound pleasant at all. Even if you are here for only a little while, it would be much better if you weren't out on the streets. Hm… tell you what. I'll talk to Paul during lunch and ask him if you can come to live with us."

Thalia frowned this time. "Are you sure, Percy? I really am fine on the streets. Honest. And I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"Please," I said, "you wouldn't be a burden. Plus, my mom would kill me if she knew that you were living on the streets and I didn't offer you a place to stay."

"Alright… well, thanks Percy. I try to do everything by myself. Sometimes I forget that my friends can help me out. Even Seaweed Brains like you."

"What else are friends for?"

* * *

At lunch I talked to Paul. Then we called Mom on speaker, and she said that of course Thalia could stay, though she spent a good deal of time fussing at me for not finding out about Thalia's situation sooner. I was walking to my first class after lunch, gym, when I heard a commotion down the hall. I turned, and started walking towards the source of the noise. The noise seemed to be coming from the courtyard. I exited through the doors and into the small courtyard. The courtyard was a small area enclosed on all four sides by the school. There were a couple of plants, some gravel, and a picnic table. In the center of the courtyard was a huge mass of kids yelling, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

I was about to turn around and re-enter the building – I didn't want to be around when the teachers showed up, that would just give Echidna a chance to spend some quality time with me – when I heard the voice of the bully. "I'm gonna beat you into a pulp, half-blood."

I spun around. Apparently the other kids thought that "half-blood" had meant half some race or another, but I knew otherwise. Whatever was attacking the kid wasn't a mortal bully.

I ran over to the circle to get a better view. The group of kids had formed a ring around a seven-foot Cyclops and a tan kid with blonde hair, who wore designer brand clothes, and had sunglasses hanging from the front of his shirt. He didn't look so great. The sunglasses were shattered, his face was already bruising up, and what appeared to be a couple of his teeth were on the ground. But he had his fists raised, and he stood his ground. He was brave, I'll give him that.

The Cyclops had a wicked grin on his face. Not only was he tall, but he was built too. Not scrawny like some Cyclops who live on the streets get. He wore tattered jeans and a leather jacket, like he was trying to be a badass.

The kid threw a punch at the Cyclops, who grabbed his fist and squeezed. I heard an unpleasant crunching sound. The kid cried out in pain. That was my cue to enter. I burst through the ring of onlookers, who apparently didn't notice anything odd about the fight at all.

"Hey!" I snapped. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

The Cyclops grunted. "You smell like a half-blood too." He (I think it was a man Cyclops) chuckled. "I'll be eating well tonight."

I had to think quickly. I couldn't pull out Riptide; I had no clue what the others would see through the mist. I also had to get out of there quickly, before teachers or Echidna showed up.

And I didn't want to admit it, but a small part of me really didn't want to fight this Cyclops. He reminded me too much of Tyson. Not that I had a choice, but still.

The Cyclops threw a punch while I was thinking, and I was caught off guard. He managed to hit my shoulder, which didn't hurt, but it did cause me to stumble backwards. The Cyclops threw another punch, but I dodged it and stepped inside his guard. I pulled back and punched him right in his single eye. He cried out in pain. I punched him again in the stomach and in the collarbone. The Cyclops collapsed.

"How are you so strong, puny half-blood?" he asked. "Who are you?"

"Heard of Achilles?" I responded. "That's me." Then I hit him in the temple, knocking the Cyclops out. I turned to the kid. His hand that the Cyclops had crushed was already swelling, but he pretended to pay it no mind as he gazed inquisitively at me. "Come on, let's go." The ring of onlookers were so stunned at the rapid end of the fight, that the kid and I were able to push through pretty easily.

* * *

Once back inside the building, he burst out, "What was that? What's going on? Who are you?"

"Wow," I said. "Lots of questions. First, I'm gonna need your named."

"I'm Clyde," he said as we rounded the corner. "Now, give me some answers."

I pulled the list of half-bloods out of my pocket. It was in alphabetical order by first name. After scanning down through the 'B's I found him. Clyde Wright, son of Apollo.

"Hey!" he snapped. "Are you gonna give me some answers, or just stare at that paper?"

"I will on the way. First we've gotta go get Thalia, then we have to leave."

Clyde stopped moving. "No. I'm not following you anywhere until you answer my questions."

I sighed. Why did he have to be so stubborn? "Alright, fine. In order. Your first question was 'what was that', right? That was a Cyclops. Most are friendly, but some can be dangerous; case in point being the one back in the courtyard. What's going on? Well Clyde, you are what we call a half-blood. If I told you the truth about what that means, you wouldn't believe me, so I'll just leave it at it makes you noticeable to monsters like that Cyclops. And yes, there are other kinds of monsters. Lots of other kinds. Now that you've been discovered, my friend, Thalia, and I have to get you out of here to Camp, which is the only safe place for you. As for who am I? The name's Percy Jackson and I just saved your ass, now come on."

"Wait," Clyde said. "That was real? Monsters are real?"

"Yes," I said. "You've seen them before, haven't you? But no one ever believed you?"

He nodded. "I eventually stopped pointing them out, because all it ever did was cause people to make fun of me. Clyde the Monster Kid they used to call me."

"I'm sorry," I said. "Where I'm taking you, everyone can see the monsters. And I don't mean that as in, like, a mental hospital. Because the monsters are real Clyde. And Camp? Where I'm taking you? Everyone there is trained to fight monsters. And we're gonna train you to fight them to. But we have to go. We've wasted too much time already. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it is for us."

"Alright," he said. "But I have to talk to my girlfriend first."

"What?"

"I'm not leaving until I talk to my girlfriend," he said, his stubbornness quickly returning.

I sighed, exasperated. "We don't have time. We have to get you out of here."

"No, I _have_ to talk with my girlfriend. I've got to warn her." He pulled a cellphone out of his pocket and began texting; his girlfriend, no doubt. I smacked the phone out of his hand. It broke on the floor. "Hey! What was that for!"

"No cellphones!" I snapped. "They attract monsters right to you."

"Can you even hear yourself?" Clyde snapped back. "'They attract the monsters?' Dude, what are you smoking? That doesn't make any sense!"

"You're just going to have to trust me on this one," I said. "Now, I'm sorry, but we don't have any more time to lose. We have to go!"

"I'm not leaving until I talk to Bonnie!"

"Wait, Bonnie? Is that your girlfriend's name?"

"Yeah," he said. "So?"

I started laughing. "Bonnie is dating Clyde?" Clyde had a look of slightly disgusted shock on his face. "Oh, c'mon, Bonnie and Clyde? It's too perfect! You're just like the gangsters!" Then a little light bulb went off in my head. "Wait, hang on. Bonnie isn't exactly a very common modern name, is it?"

"So? Are you gonna tell me there's time travel involved now too?"

"No, no, of course not. Though, that would be cool. But, if Bonnie isn't a very common name, then why do I recognize it? She's probably the only Bonnie at Goode." I pulled out the list of demigods and scanned through the names again. There she was. Bonnie Hoover, daughter of Aphrodite. "Right, change of plans."

"Does this change of plans involve me getting to talk to my girlfriend?" Clyde asked sarcastically.

"Even better," I said. "We're going to get her. She's coming with us."

* * *

It took a few moments for Clyde's look of surprise to vanish. By the time it did I heard the sound of the door to the courtyard open, followed by the angry bellow of a Cyclops.

"Dammit!" I said. "Clyde, go get your girlfriend. Make something up if you have to."

"None of this makes any sense to me," he said. "But… okay."

He dashed off, and I turned to face the Cyclops. The Cyclops came lumbering around the corner, looking very angry, with bruises appearing on his now bare skin. "You will pay for that!"

I drew Riptide. "Wanna think about that buddy?" The Cyclops flinched at my blade. "That's right. You recognize the celestial bronze, don't you? One slice of this, and you die. You've seen what my fists can do. Do you really want to see what my sword can do?" I was trying to talk the Cyclops out of attacking me. No matter how brutal this Cyclops was, he still reminded me of Tyson.

The Cyclops snarled, and chose to ignore my warning. He ran at me. I sidestepped and brought riptide upward in a wide arc, severing the Cyclops's head. I closed my eyes as the Cyclops dissolved to dust. _Sorry Tyson,_ I thought.

I turned. "Shit," I said aloud. I had just realized that I'd sent Clyde off and I had no clue where he'd gone.

I started sprinting in the direction he'd come. "Clyde!" I called.

My math teacher, Mrs. Rolle, stuck her head out the door of the classroom. She was an older woman with steel gray hair and glasses that almost seemed to glint when she was angry. They were glinting now. "Mr. Jackson, will you keep it down? What is going on out here?"

"Sorry, Mrs. Rolle," I said. "I'll try to keep it down."

"And why are you holding a baseball bat?" she asked, pointing at my sword. I just realized I'd forgotten to put it away. _Damn_, I cursed silently. Today was just not my day. "You know that all bats belong in the gym, or the locker room," she continued. "This is the second time I've had to speak to you about this."

I smiled guiltily and rubbed the back of my neck. Last year there'd been an incident involving an Empousa, and Mrs. Rolle had caught me afterwards with my "bat" still out. "It won't happen again," I assured her.

"Why aren't you in class?" she asked.

"Uh… free period," I lied. I was supposed to be in gym right now, but missing one period wouldn't affect my grade too badly.

She stared at me skeptically, before sighing, and saying, "Alright. But keep it down, Jackson. Some people have tests to take." _On the second day? _I thought. _A little harsh_, but I knew better than to say that out loud.

At that moment Thalia appeared in the doorway, looking at Mrs. Rolle, "What do you want us to do when we finish the test, Mrs. Rolle?"

"Thalia?"

"Percy?"

"Mr. Jackson, stop distracting my student," Mrs. Rolle snapped. "Just set it on my desk dear," she told Thalia.

"Okay," Thalia said. "Also, can I go to the bathroom?"

Mrs. Rolle looked like she was about to pop. "Fine! Just… take your stuff with you. The period is almost over." And with that, she snapped the door shut.

A few moments later, Thalia came out with her bag. "What did you do this time Seaweed Brain?"

I briefly explained all that had happened. "And now I can't find Clyde," I concluded. "I know it was really stupid of me, but we have to go and find him and his girlfriend, and somehow get them to camp."

"How?" Thalia asked. "How are we gonna get them to camp? You don't have a car. I don't have a car. Percy, think for a moment. It's no good to say 'We'll find them and get them to camp' if we don't have a vehicle. We'll have to split our efforts."

"Okay," I said. "You find Clyde, and I'll go ask Paul if we can borrow the Prius."

"Yet again, not thinking," Thalia said. "I don't know Clyde, and he doesn't know me. Even if I could find him, he'd probably freak out at the sight of some random girl saying 'come with me.' You have to be the one to find him. I'll go talk to Mr. Blofis, explain the situation. Do you know where he is right now?"

"Yeah," I said. "He's in the teacher's lounge probably. This is one of his free periods."

"Right," Thalia started running off.

"Oh," I said, "By the way, Thalia." She stopped. "You've got a place to stay now. Mom said we'll set you up in the spare room."

Thalia smiled. "Thanks Percy. You're a pretty good cousin."

I smiled back. "See you in a bit. Meet in the foyer?"

She nodded, then disappeared around the corner. I turned the other way and continued to run in the direction Clyde went, but I made sure to put Riptide away first. I ran along the long hallways of Goode, past countless doors, hoping to find Clyde before the bell rang and the halls were crowded with students. It would be nearly impossible to find Clyde in that mess.

Unfortunately, fortune was not my friend that day. Just as I ran upstairs, the bell rang. I cursed. What was I supposed to do?

I racked my brains. With any luck, Clyde would be smart enough to hide and not just go to his next class. And, hopefully, he had Bonnie with him now, too. I waited until the onslaught of students had stopped, before I picked my search back up. Now I was missing English, but oh, well.

I was about to give up hope, when I decided to stop at a bathroom. All that running around had made me have to pee. The first thing I saw when I entered was a very pretty blonde girl leaning against the wall wearing a blue dress. "Oh, my bad," I said. "Wrong bathroom."

That's when a voice said, "Percy!" It was Clyde. "I went back to where I'd left you, but you were gone."

"I was looking for you!" I said.

"Well you didn't tell me where to meet you," Clyde said.

"Yeah, you're right," I sighed. "It was my fault, I know. I assume that this is Bonnie?"

"No," Clyde said sarcastically, "this is that other random chick that happens to be with me in the men's restroom."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Sorry about him," she said. "It's been a pretty stressful day. I'm Bonnie."

"Right," I said. "Time to go."

When we arrived in the foyer, Thalia was already there. "Got the keys?" I asked.

She raised her hand, in which she held the keys to Paul's Prius. "Got the kids?" she asked, pointing at Bonnie and Clyde.

"Yep, let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Butch

The next morning I woke up and went to the bathroom, yawning. It had been a tiring few days, and all I wanted was to start my morning with a nice warm shower. I opened the bathroom door and was blinded by the light. Then I heard, "Dammit, Percy, get out of here!"

When my vision cleared, Thalia was standing there in nothing but a towel. "Shit, sorry!" I covered my eyes and backed out of the bathroom, shutting the door. I'd forgotten Thalia was staying with us. I groaned and wandered into the living room. My shower would have to wait, but I wasn't going to waste the opportunity to go ahead and eat breakfast. I put bread in the toaster and hit the button.

As I sat waiting for my toast, I started to think. Life sure was going to be different with Thalia staying here. I'd actually have to start knocking on the bathroom door in the morning…

* * *

Finally, after a lot of hassle, Thalia and I managed to both get ready without getting in each other's way too badly. Then we loaded into the Prius with Paul and started on our way to school. On the way, Thalia turned to me. "You know, Percy, you really need to get a car."

"Why?" I asked. "I live in downtown Manhattan. The traffic is terrible, and we have the best public transportation system in the world."

"Because, Seaweed Brain, we need a vehicle to cart kids to Camp in. We can't borrow Paul's car every time we have to get demigods to camp."

"Ah, he doesn't mind."

Paul sighed. "I am in the car. Listen, I'm fine with helping out any way I can, but I need my car. And, also, you guys can't be missing a lot of class for this. Not only will it look suspicious, but, at least for you Percy, you're actually at school to learn, and you can't exactly do that if you're missing class all the time."

"Alright," I said. "So, how am I going to get a car?"

Paul spoke up again, "Well, my brother has an older car that he doesn't use anymore. We could probably get that for you. I'll call him tonight, see if he can bring it up this weekend."

"There," said Thalia. "See? Easy enough."

I nodded. I was getting a car. I was excited, but I'd also gotten to the point where practicality was more important. Owning a car in New York City? Not very practical. Not with the subways, buses, and taxis to get you everywhere. Plus, traffic was hell, and finding a gas station was impossible. I honestly didn't know why we even had the Prius. It was useful if you had to leave the city, but still…

* * *

When we got to homeroom, Thalia and I sat in our usual spots and settled in for another day. Then Helen's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Good morning everyone, and happy Friday!" Wow, Friday already. I was surprised at how quickly the first week was over. "So, just a reminder to everyone, tonight is the first home-game of the season, so I hope everyone comes to cheer on our team!" I rolled my eyes. Not only was I uninterested, but our football team was known for being terrible. No one else seemed to remember this, because the entire class started to cheer. I looked at Thalia.

"Do you know what that is?" I asked. "What Helen's doing, I mean? How does she make people do certain things, or react certain ways when she speaks?"

"It's called charmspeak," Thalia said. "It's a gift that daughters of Aphrodite sometimes have. When used properly and well, you can get even gods or Titans to at least partially heed what you're saying. The fact that Helen's charmspeak doesn't really work at all on us, probably has to do with the fact that she's not a daughter of Aphrodite. She wasn't born with it, she had to learn it. She's not as good, and will never be as good, as some daughters of Aphrodite."

"I guess that makes sense," I said. "Had any luck with either a god or Titan that has a grudge against you, or this Andromeda person?"

Thalia frowned and shook her head. "There's too many. It's like trying to compile a list of gods and Titans that hate you."

I thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Man, how are we ever going to narrow this down?"

"I don't know," Thalia said as the bell rang. "I suppose we'll just have to keep working away. Alright, I gotta get to class. I'll see you after school."

I nodded. "See you."

* * *

I was in the locker room changing after swim practice, when the football guys started coming in to change for their big game tonight. As I pulled my pants out of my locker, the list of demigods fell out of the pocket. I bent over and picked it up, glancing at it briefly, when a name caught my eye. The name was Butch. He was the quarterback of the football team. He was tall, burly, and had a shaved head. He had a reputation for being generally nice, but if you got on his nerves or made him angry, he was an enemy to be reckoned with. Once he'd shoved 15 pencils up a kid's nose. Impressive, but I'd once shoved 19 up my own. Long story…

Anyway, the list said he was a son of Iris. I snorted with laughter. The big football quarterback was a son of the rainbow goddess? Hilarious. I looked up, and there he was, goofing around with the other football players until the coaches came in and got them prepped for the "big game." I put the list back in my pocket and pulled on my pants. He didn't need saving yet, and there was no sense in worrying about him until there was. I was on my way out, when two guys I'd never seen before entered the locker room, carrying football bags. They were huge, even for varsity football players.

Something about them bugged me. I didn't put my finger on it until I was halfway out of the building. They reminded me a whole lot of that incident in seventh grade when I'd been attacked by Laistrygonian giants in gym class. I spun around and dashed back to the locker room. I walked in. The coaches had just begun their pre-game prep. I glanced at the football team. There, in the back, were the two that I didn't recognize. They were Laistrygonians alright. I could tell because they were the only ones not staring intently at the coaches, instead their eyes were pointed directly at Butch.

I quietly snuck out of the locker room and muttered, "Shit." Brilliant. It looked like I was going to the football game after all…

* * *

"Explain to me again your thought process, Percy," Thalia said as we sat in the stands waiting for the game to begin. "Really, because this is not how I wanted to spend my Friday night."

"How were you planning on spending it?" I asked.

"I was going to spend it kicking your ass in MW3," she said.

"I don't own Modern Warfare," I said.

"You do now," she responded, raising her backpack. "I managed to procure a copy today after I beat Steve in Boxing. The team had bet me I couldn't beat him, and MW3 was the reward."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You are enjoying High School far too much for an immortal girl. Especially one who's the lieutenant of Artemis."

"Whatever," she said. "I might as well enjoy myself while I'm here. But that's not the point. Why are we here?"

"Okay, look," I said, "the Laistrygonians will probably attack in a moment of extreme confusion. And what's more confusing than the end of a football game? The crowd running down into the field to cheer for the winning team. It'll be a mess. And that'll be the perfect opportunity to grab Butch and run off to cook dinner."

Thalia sighed. "Fine, but if you're wrong and I missed the opportunity to play a video game for the first time, then you'll be sorry."

"The PlayStation will still be there whenever we get home," I said. "Chill out."

"Sorry," Thalia said. "You're right. I just… really don't want to be here. To be quite honest, I hate football."

That struck me as odd. "Really? Why? I thought you of all people would enjoy football. It's your type of violent sport, I thought."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Answer this, Seaweed Brain. How many professional football players are women?"

"There's a women's football league…"

"Yeah, where they dress in slutty uniforms and run around the field so all the guys can stare at them," Thalia snapped. "Look, unlike a lot of the hunters, I don't hate men. What I do hate though, is when women are turned into objects by men."

"Well how many professional boxers are women," I retorted, sure I'd gotten her. She loved boxing.

"Lots! There are tons of women boxers. There's a women's boxing league. And, unlike women's football, it's actually a competition, rather than a set-up for guys to oogle girls."

"Okay," I said. "I see your point. Sorry for assuming."

"It's fine, Seaweed Brain," Thalia answered. "I'm sorry I got all worked up."

I shrugged. "It happens." Just then, the football team charged onto the field. Immediately I noticed that something was wrong. The announcer called out the names of the team as they entered the stadium, and when he arrived at the quarterback, I knew the problem.

"And this year's star quarterback, Jake Jacobs!" he called.

"Damn it!" I said. "They already have Butch! Of course they weren't going to wait for the game to start, not when the Mist would cover up his disappearance! Come on, we've got to find Butch."

Thalia nodded, grabbed her bag, and followed me as we sprinted out of the stadium and back to the school. I burst in through the door leading into the pool area, then ran across to the pool entrance to the locker room, Thalia right on my tail. We ran into the locker room, while I called, "Butch! Butch!"

"He's not here," Thalia said. "Seaweed Brain! Why in Zeus's name didn't you stay around him! You idiot!"

We were both panicking, and I knew it. That didn't stop me from getting angry at Thalia. "You know what," I snapped, "I'm doing fine with berating myself without you reminding me how much of an idiot I am! You know Thalia, people make mistakes. You don't have to insult me every time I make one!"

"He could be dead already, Percy, and it's your fault! Did you even stop to think that they might attack him before the game? No, of course not, because stopping to think is below the 'mighty Percy Jackson.'"

I blazed with anger, and in that brief moment lost control. Water surged from every faucet, shower, and toilet in the locker room, which focused itself and blasted Thalia, as well as drenching everything in the locker room.

"Shit," I said. Then Thalia's fist connected with my face. I was fine, but stunned. Thalia, on the other hand, howled in pain, and clenched her hand. That's when I heard it. Sniggering. Thalia heard it too. We both peered around the row of lockers and saw the Laistrygonians. I'd had no clue they could be so quiet. And there, lying between them, was Butch, out cold and looking worse for the wear.

They looked stunned. "Oops," one of them said.

"Oops," Thalia and I repeated together as I drew Riptide and her spear appeared in her hand.

The giants each grabbed a locker door and hurled them at us. We ducked under. As we did, I noticed that Thalia was holding her spear in her left hand, and that her right was swelling and turning purple. Awesome. Guilt trip.

We charged the giants. They tried to move out of the way, but Thalia and I were to quick. Mine disintegrated when my sword tore him in half. Thalia's fell apart when it found her spear impaled in its stomach.

We both exhaled together, then laughed in relief. "Well," Thalia said. "That went well. Even left handed."

"Sorry," I said. "I really didn't mean to lose control…"

"I'm sorry too," Thalia said. "I didn't mean to insult you like that. Wow, we haven't fought like that for ages."

"No kidding," I said. "It's been since… well since that quest where we had to save Annabeth back when I was fourteen."

Just then Butch stirred. "What happened," he said. "Why am I in the locker room? Did we already play the game?"

"Yes," Thalia lied.

"Did we win?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," I said. "In fact… we were here to pick you up and take you to the after-party. One of the cheer-leader's cousins has a mansion out on Long Island." Thalia and I helped him stand.

"Why don't I remember anything?" he asked.

"Got knocked in the head," Thalia lied. "Nothing serious. They checked you for a concussion, and you're fine. The memory loss is only temporary. Now, come one, let's get you to that party."

"Yeah…" he said. "Okay. Who are you guys anyway?"

"I'm Percy."

"Thalia."

"Oh," he said. "Well thanks guys. I have a car, if you want to use that to drive us to the party."

"Sounds perfect," I said. I felt bad about lying, but we'd explain the truth when we had Chiron's help. Hopefully he wouldn't be too upset at us.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: James

Butch had not been too happy when he discovered that not only was he not going to a party, but that he hadn't played in the football game at all. He almost tried to attack Thalia (who'd had ambrosia and whose hand was finally shrinking back to normal size) and I, until Chiron grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down hard. While he explained the truth to Butch, I excused myself and went inside to use the phone.

When I got through to my Mom, I jumped right in, "Hey, Mom, listen, I'm at camp right now. Since it'll take a while to get back to the city, I was wondering if Thalia and I could stay here the night."

"That's fine," she said. "By the way, honey, Paul's brother is bringing you the car tomorrow, so we'll have to come get you in the morning."

"What time is he bringing the car?" I asked.

"Around one," Mom answered.

"Aw, man," I said. "I was going to go see a movie matinee with Annabeth then."

"Sorry, Percy," Mom said. "But your step-uncle wants to see you. You haven't seen him since the wedding, and you know how much his kids like you."

I sighed. "I know. Can Annabeth at least come over and meet him?"

"Sure," Mom said. "I'm sure they'd love to meet Annabeth."

"Alright." It wasn't as good as being able to just be with just Annabeth, but it was better than not seeing her at all. "I'll call Annabeth, talk to her about it. When are you going to come get me?"

"Pretty early," she said. "We'll pick you and Thalia up around eight. See you tomorrow Percy, love you."

"Love you, Mom."

After calling Annabeth and confirming the change of plans, I exited the room, and started back out, when I heard a voice. "Johansson, is that you?" I turned. It was a pudgy man in a Hawaiian shirt with curly black hair and the smell of wine. I knew him anywhere.

"Mr. D," I said with a fake smile, "a pleasure as always."

Mr. D grunted. "Flattery is one of your smarter moves, boy, you should stick to that. What are you doing here? I thought I only had to put up with you during the summer. It's September, Peter. You've stayed far too long."

"Don't worry, sir," I said. "I'll be gone by tomorrow."

"And another thing," he said. "I know I'm supposed to support you heroes and all, but I don't think I can stand it if you bring many more newbies here."

"Well you're going to have to. Not only are you under Zeus's orders, but there's a lot more coming soon. Mr. D, listen, just deal with it. The size of the camp is going to continue to increase as you gods actually claim all your children. I'm sure that you'll find some way to cope."

"Watch yourself," he said as his eyes began to blaze with purple fire, "unless you want to find yourself a dolphin or being driven insane."

"Percy?" a voice said, before I could get myself into more trouble by making another sarcastic remark. I turned. Standing there was Nico di Angelo. He had ditched the air force jacket for a black leather one, but otherwise he looked the same as always. "What are you doing here?"

"Nico? I could ask the same. I thought you'd end up living here after you finished your cabin, but the last few times I've been here you weren't around."

Nico glanced from side to side. "This… isn't the best time to talk."

"Am I interrupting something?" Mr. D asked sarcastically. "I don't take well to being ignored."

"Forgive us Mr. D," Nico said politely. "Perhaps you would like it if Percy and I got out of the house?"

He grunted. "Fine. Get outta here di Angelo, and take Johnson."

As we exited back onto the porch, I asked, "He remembers your name?"

"Being the Ghost King has its privileges, even here at Camp Half-Blood. Why are you here?"

"Just brought in a Half-Blood from Goode. Why are you here? You're never around. I'd thought you were going all lone-wolf again, or that you'd decided to go live with your dad in the underworld."

Nico shook his head. "The underworld is no place for the living, even for one who is so closely tied in with death as I am. I can stay there for long periods, but even I cannot stay there forever. As for lone-wolf, do you think I have much of a choice? I terrify everyone here, even the birds are scared of me."

"I'm not scared of you," I piped up. I wasn't exactly super close friends with Nico, but neither was I scared of him. I actually felt kind of sorry for him.

"Of course _you_ aren't scared of me," Nico said. "You're Percy Jackson. You defeated Kronos in combat, and you bear the curse of Achilles. Why would you be scared of a runt like me? No, of course you aren't scared of me."

"I – I didn't realize it was still so bad. I thought people would respect you more when you and your dad helped save Olympus. I mean… well, Hades can be in Olympus anytime he wants again, instead of just on the winter solstice. I thought you'd be treated well, too."

Nico snorted. "Do they respect me? The other campers? Yes, they respect me, the same way the rabbit respects the fox, or the deer respects the bear. They respect me, but it's a respect based entirely off of fear. But look, I didn't pull you out of there to have a chat to talk about how alone I am. I'm not trying to garner sympathy. I actually need your help."

I brought my eyebrows together. "With what?"

Nico glanced around. We'd descended into the cabin area, and were approaching his obsidian cabin. As we approached, the torches around it lit up with eerie blue fire. Nico held open the door. "We'll discuss inside. The other campers wouldn't take too kindly to what I'm about to tell you."

Confused, I walked inside. The interior was lit by the same blue flames, casting everything in half-shadow. Just like any other cabin, there were several bunks, and just like my cabin, it looked like only one was in use. The black walls were very plain. The only place that anything had been put on the walls was next to the bed I assumed was Nico's, where a black and white picture of Nico, Bianca, and their mother hung. Sometimes I forgot that Nico was from a time long ago, a time when children of the elder gods were not a broken promise. I saw something else that caught my eye. A back door to the cabin. I walked towards it. From the cracks around the door I heard a strange rushing sound.

"Don't open the door," Nico said as he shut the front door. "It's not just the back door of the cabin. I built this cabin with one door, and no secret rooms. So imagine my surprise that the first time I enter the cabin, there's that other door."

"Where does it lead?" I asked.

"At first, I thought it led to the Underworld," Nico said. "I know now that's not the case. But that's not why you're here Percy. Take a seat," he said, pointing to one of the empty beds. I sat down. The bed was actually very comfortable. Nico sat across from me. "Okay, what I'm about to tell you… would not be favorable in the eyes of the other campers. My father has a lieutenant."

"Okay," I said. I wasn't sure where this was going, but I was curious, and a little bit apprehensive.

"His lieutenant is named Thanatos," Nico continued. "Thanatos… is the embodiment of death. Now, Death is a god. The souls of the dead don't just show up at the entrance of the underworld. Thanatos takes them, and guides them there. Just like the other gods, Thanatos has desires, and just like the other gods, Thanatos can fall in love."

I thought I saw where this was going now. "No," I said. "You've got to be kidding me."

Nico shook his head. "I'm not. Thanatos fell in love with a mortal woman. And they had a child, named James. And… well… James has the peculiar ability to uh… well… if someone bothers him, they have the tendency to die mysteriously."

I felt chills run down my back. "You mean to tell me you want to bring this kid to camp?"

Nico hesitated, then nodded slightly. "I… believe that I can teach him to suppress and control this ability. It's… well, it's an involuntary ability. It's not that he tries to kill these people, they just kind of… die."

"Nico, that's crazy! We can't bring someone that dangerous to camp!"

"That's what everyone says about me!" Nico yelled, passion rising in his voice. "Percy, people here fear and hate me! You're the only one who really knows and understands me!" Tears were building up in Nico's eyes. "James! He's lost everything! His mother grounded him once – she died! Can you imagine how that made him feel? He needs help! He needs to learn how to control his power! And I want to help him see that he doesn't have to be an outcast – that if there are two of us, outcasts together, then it's not so bad." At that Nico broke down and started crying.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I didn't… I'm sorry."

Nico wiped his nose, trying to pull himself together. "I thought you'd be willing to help me go get him, because, you know, he might be kind of scared, and you could probably calm him more easily than me."

"I will," I promised. "Do you really think you can teach him to control his powers?"

Nico nodded. "Yes. I've spoken with Thanatos. I know how to teach him to control his powers."

"Alright," I said. "I'll help you. When do you want to go get James?"

"Tomorrow," he said.

Of course, I thought. Tomorrow. Everything was tomorrow. Getting my new car, seeing my uncle, a date with Annabeth (kind of). But I had already promised Nico I'd help, so help I would. I just had to find a way to make it to everything. But I nodded, telling him to come to the apartment in the City whenever he was ready in the next day.

* * *

Too many things in one day is always a bad thing. That Saturday was one of those days. Thalia and I had to wake up around seven to get picked up by mom. Then, when we got back home, I took a shower and got ready for Annabeth to come over (she'd be arriving about an hour earlier than my relatives).

Unfortunately, I fell asleep on the couch while waiting. I didn't even notice I was asleep. That was, until, soft lips, that could've only been Annabeth's, brushed mine, followed by a voice saying, "Wake up Seaweed Brain."

My eyes flickered open. Standing in front of me was Annabeth, the most beautiful girl in the world. She was smirking, slightly, and her gray eyes were laughing at me. Her blonde hair was loose, which wasn't something I was accustomed to, but I liked it all the same.

"Hey, beautiful," I said, sitting up.

I heard a gagging sound from behind me, and turned. Standing there was Thalia. "Good grief you two. Get a room." I felt my face get a little hot. Just her saying that had triggered a thought. I glanced back at Annabeth, who was blushing too. Thalia leaped over the back of the couch and landed next to me. "Seems as if I've struck a nerve," she chuckled. "Well then, I suppose I'll leave you two lovebirds be."

"No need," came another voice. Nico emerged from the hall leading towards my bedroom. Oh for Poseidon's sake, I couldn't have two minutes alone with my girlfriend? "Percy, I'm ready to go."

"Go where?" Annabeth asked. Damn, I'd forgotten to tell her.

"Um…"

"You didn't tell Annabeth," Nico said, raising his eyebrows. "Hm. Shocker."

Thalia snorted with laughter. "Nico, right? Nice one."

"Thanks," he said. "You're my other cousin, Thalia, yes?"

"Percy, what's going on?" Annabeth asked.

"Uh, yeah," I said. "After I called you, Nico asked me if I'd help him with something, and before I knew when he was planning on coming… I kind of promised I would…"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Mom, came into the living room, glanced at the four of us, slightly taken aback, then turned to the door. "Your uncle and cousins must be here early," she said to me, then opened the door. The first thing that happened, was two red headed kids slammed into me.

"Cousin, Percy!" they cried in unison. They were twins, nine years old, one a boy, one a girl. Exactly the same height, both wearing glasses; their names were Keith and Jenna.

"Hi," I said.

"Percy," said my uncle, Arthur. He was a tall, thin man with hair the same color as his kids, but thinning. "Good to see you. Who are all these?"

"This is Thalia and Nico," I said. "They're my dad's niece and nephew; siblings." Thalia and Nico glanced at each other, probably both thinking, 'Did he really just say we were siblings?' "And this is Annabeth, my girlfriend." She smiled, shaking my uncle's hand.

"Hello," he said. "I'm Arthur, and these are my kids, Keith and Jenna." They smiled; Keith had a gap between his front teeth.

"I'm sorry," mom said. "Lunch won't be ready for another hour."

"It's fine," said Arthur. "We'll wait. Socialize with the kids. By the way, where's my brother?"

"He's at the market," mom said as she entered the kitchen. "Actually, Arthur, could you lend me a hand?"

"Of course, Sally," he said, and entered the kitchen, leaving the four of us to entertain the two kids. I managed to pry myself free from their grasp at last. "So…" I said, "you kids ever play Crash Team Racing?"

They looked at each other and shook their heads. Thalia grinned wickedly. "Well," she said. "I'll teach you two how to play."

Annabeth leaned towards Nico and I. "Go get your stuff done," she whispered. "Just be back in time for lunch." She kissed me good bye and turned back to Thalia and the twins, who were getting out the PlayStation.

Nico and I snuck back to my bedroom. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Not far," he said. "James is here in the City. Central Park to be specific." He climbed out of my window onto the fire escape. "I figured we could take a cab, spare me the energy from shadow travel in case we have to fight."

"Cab?" I said. "Forget that. The subway will be much faster."

* * *

The trip was fast. Finding James, wasn't so bad. The aftermath… well that was the tricky part. Nico and I stepped out of the subway into the sunlight. We crossed the street into the park. "So, how are we going to find him?" I asked.

"Easy," he said. "The kid radiates death. Finding him is going to be like finding the sun on a bright day. At least for me."

"So, why am I here again?" I asked.

"To help me keep him calm," he said. "Plus, his aura is as apparent to monsters as it is to me. If there are any big monsters, I'm going to need you to fight them off while I take care of James."

"So you brought me along as a body guard?" I was starting to think that his outburst yesterday had just been a ruse to make me say yes to helping him out.

"Well," Nico reasoned, "his aura is really strong, so he'll attract some powerful monsters. And, you know, you're invincible and all."

We were getting pretty deep into the park at this point. "You little snot," I said. "You tricked me because you didn't want to do any work."

Nico looked offended. "I did not. You remember what sleeps in this park as well as I do. Look, the reason I brought you, is because James is one of the very few with the capability to wake him up."

"Wake who up?"

"You know who, Percy. You were the one who defeated him; you're the reason he's inside a tree."

"What are you talking about," I said. But just then, we emerged from the tree line to a very familiar pond. I could imagine an army of monsters going around either side of the pond. I could practically see Hyperion walking across the top of the pond. And sitting on the shore with his feet in the water, was a boy. He had quite pale skin, and very dark hair. He wore plain jeans and a plain black t-shirt. His shoes and socks were sitting next to him. His socks were plain white ones, his shoes were black Nikes with neon green soles and laces.

He had heard us coming. "Who are you?" he asked. "And why are you here?"

"I'm Nico," Nico said. "I – uh… I know your father. He and my father were business partners. My friend and I have come to take you somewhere where you won't have to be alone anymore."

"That's bull shit," James responded. "And besides, even if you were telling the truth, people around me have the tendency to die. Why would you ever bring me near other people?"

"I can teach you to control that," Nico said. "I am not all that different from you. I've been alone for a long time too. But you don't have to be alone if you have me. I'm practically your older brother."

"But you're not," said a new voice. Nico and I spun around, James stayed where he was. From the tree line emerged Helen. "Hello there, Mr. Jackson. And, Nico, right? A pleasure to meet you. That boy, James, has a very special ability, as you well know. What you might not know, is that the real reason his father sent you, the real reason you're here, is because it's been eating away at his life force. Every time someone dies because of his powers, he dies a little too. His father sent you because he is about to die." At that I turned back to James, who had spun around. His eyes were a startling orange color. His nose was crooked in two places.

Helen continued, so I turned my attention back to her. "He is very near death now. So I thought of a clever thing to do. What better way to lose his last bit of life force, than to use him to awaken Hyperion from his slumber? If I make him kill the tree around Hyperion, then Hyperion will once again be free. And he will tear you apart."

Nico and I both drew our swords. "You'll have to get past us!" I snapped.

"But I have," said Helen's voice behind us. But that was impossible; she was in front of us. I half turned. There was another Helen, picking up James by his elbow. "I can be anywhere and everywhere," said another Helen, from off to the side. "Some of the benefits of magic," the Helen in front of me said. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a Titan to free."

Helen grabbed James. Nico lunged towards him, but another Helen came out of nowhere and nearly decapitated him. Nico ducked underneath her blade and parried back. I went to go get James from the Helen that was dragging him off towards the trees, but the real Helen cut me off. "Sorry, Jackson," she said. "Not today."

Our swords banged together with a clang. I didn't have time for this, I had to save James. I felt a tug in my gut as a huge wave surged up in the reservoir and crashed over Helen and I. While she was disoriented, I ran towards the Helen that had James. "Sorry, Helen," I said. "Not today."

I tackled her to the ground, and she, James, and I landed in a twisted heap. Helen kicked me off her, into the sword of the Helen I had blasted with water. Her blade shattered across my back, and I screamed in pain. That had been dangerously close to my weak point. I slammed my elbow back into Helen's stomach. The Helen that had James was moving again. I made to chase after them again, when the Helen behind me teleported around to my front and blocked me off, pulling another sword out of thin air.

As I fought to get past Helen, Nico was trying to hold off the onslaught of his Helen, who was using magic blasts to attack and distract him, whilst she danced circles around him. Suddenly, all three of the Helens chorused, "Too late!"

There was a huge blast of fire from the tree line and a scream of agony from James. I looked up in horror and alarm. The smoldering remains of a tree surrounded a figure dressed all in gold and radiating so much heat, that I felt like I was standing next to the sun. James lay on the ground in front of the figure, motionless. All three of the Helens snapped back into one Helen, who knelt before Hyperion. "Lord, Hyperion," she said. "Welcome back. The Titans are rising again under new leadership. We need you."

"Of course you do," Hyperion said. He glanced up, and I felt his gold eyes gaze at me with hatred. "You. You shall die, now."

I raised my sword higher and prepared to summon a hurricane. Nico was slowly edging his around Hyperion to get to James. I had to stall for him. James could be saved yet, with some luck. Hyperion began to move towards me, but Helen stood and held out an arm. "My lord, Jackson cannot be killed at the present. He bears the Mark of Achilles." Hyperion glared at her, and Helen added, "Which, of course you know. But today is not the day to fight Jackson. Return to Mt. Othrys, my lord. There, you shall be fulled briefed."

"Very well," Hyperion said. Then he looked back at me. "Mark my words, boy, you will pay."

I had just enough sense left to know that he was about to teleport, so I shut my eyes quickly and waited. When I opened them, Helen had approached me. I brought the tip of my sword up to her throat. Nico was kneeling next to James performing CPR.

"Easy, Jackson," Helen said. "I just thought I should tell you that this was another test. You failed this one. Don't worry though, you'll have plenty of opportunities to bring your grade point average back up. Or not. I suppose it all has to do with how well you study. So long for now." With that, she disappeared. I dashed over to Nico, who had stopped CPR. His face was stony.

"He's gone," Nico said. "I-I failed."

"No, Nico," I said. "I failed. I'm sorry, I should have been able to stop Helen. What's the good of having the Mark of Achilles if you can't save the day. But, come one, we need to go. I'm sure that James will rest easily and happily in Elysium."

* * *

I was very subdued for the rest of the day. That had been awful. I had seen so many demigods die, but James hadn't even been able to defend himself. It was almost like he hadn't really resisted. And the trouble was, the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I was right. James had wanted to die out of some wish to make amends with those who had died because of his unique and dangerous powers.

I got the keys to my new car. My uncle and cousins would be staying the night, so they got my room whilst I slept on the couch. I was so miserable, thinking only of James dying, that I hardly noticed when I slipped into sleep. That was, until my dream started.

I was standing in the Olympian throne room. None of the gods were there, and it was quite dark. The hearth had burned down to just a few coals. Standing next to the hearth was a very tall man wearing armor that looked much older than Greek armor. He had a long gray beard and long gray hair. His eyes were golden.

"Hello, Jackson," he spoke. I recognized that voice. The man was Kronos.

"Kronos," I said. "It's you! Somehow, you survived, and now yu're leading the Titan into war only weeks afteryour defeat. You just don't know when to give up."

"I assure you," Kronos said, "I have nothing to do with these Titans. They believe me dead as much as you do. Or did. Now that I am speaking with you, you begin to suspect that, perhaps, my consciousness survived. And you would be right. Where my consciousness is though… that will surprise you. But do not worry about that now, Jackson, you're too thick to work it out anytime soon anyway." He winced. "This looks like the end of our little conversation. I grow weary. Sweet dreams Jackson."

I awoke with a start.


	6. Interlude - Jason pt 1

Interlude – Jason

Jason was tired. After climbing the mountain and fighting the dragon, he'd made his way to the old Titan base, where he'd been promised he'd find what he was looking for – answers to what had really happened to Saturn. That place brought back memories. As he looked around at the crumbling walls, he saw where he'd fought back to back with Reyna against the snake women. He saw where their bastille had blasted the walls apart. He saw the path that Hannibal, their war elephant, had created in a rampage. As he went deeper into the fortress, he saw where he'd sat with his friend Will, as he'd died. And as he entered the former throne room, he remembered his fight with Krios.

He'd seen the ram-headed Titan, and yelled, "Krios! Where is your master? Where is Saturn?"

Krios had turned. "Jason Grace. Your legion of romans annoys me. I suppose their spirit will be broken if I kill you."

The massive form of Atlas had called out, "Let me free, Krios. Do not attempt to fight the son of Jupiter yourself. Allow me to tear him apart!"

Speaking of Atlas, where was he? Jason looked at wear Atlas was supposed to be, and saw a small form struggling under the weight of the sky. He approached warily. When he got close, he could hear the form grunting. The voice sounded familiar. As he got closer, he saw that it was Reyna.

"Reyna," he gasped, dashing forward. "What are you doing here? Why are you holding up the sky?"

"Jason," she gasped. "I was tricked. Please, help me. I feel like I'm about to die."

He nodded. "I'll take the weight. You've got to get to Camp and organize a search party for Atlas." She nodded, too much in pain to continue to speak. "Okay," he said. "Ready? One, two… three." He grabbed the sky and positioned himself underneath, and Reyna slipped free. The weight of the sky was greater agony than Jason had ever felt. His arms trembled, his knees were driven to the ground.

She lay on the ground, heaving in deep breaths, but after about ten minutes, she began to laugh. As she stood up, she transformed into a red-haired girl with flashing purple eyes. Her clothes were still the same – the garb of a Roman praetor. "Well done, Jason. You are as gullible as I had hoped."

"Who –" Jason gasped.

"Spare your breath," she said. "You'll need as much of it as you can get. I'm Andromeda. No, not the same one from the Ancient world, my father liked the name, and it was fitting given who my mother is. Trivia, goddess of magic, in case you were wondering. Yes, imagine my surprise when I found out the truth of who my mother was… But enough from me. There are a couple of people here that are dying to see you again."

Out of the shadows stepped the massive form of Atlas, smirking. And next to him, stood (if you could say it was standing since it didn't really have two separate legs) a dark shape. The only thing making it stand out from the surrounding gloom, was that its "body" was dotted with what looked like stars. It was, impossibly, Krios.

"Grace," the Krios-form rasped, "how good to see you again. Really, an honor to be with the great praetor himself, the one who killed me. Well almost, anyway. You remember Atlas, of course. Last time you saw him, he was standing where you are now. He's ever so grateful that you've agreed to give him a break."

"What is the meaning of this?" Jason grunted. "My soldiers will come looking for me."

"Why would they," Atlas chuckled, "when you made it back from your trip safe and sound?"

At that, Andromeda changed, growing tall, her hair pulling back into her head, her shoulders broadening. Soon, an exact replica of Jason Grace was standing in her place. "I think they'll find this believable," she said, even sounding exactly like Jason.

Jason gritted his teeth as Krios, Atlas, and Andromeda laughed.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello again. This is the second installment of RE: Curse of Echidna. It is not five chapters plus an interlude as the first installment was, but rather only a single chapter. This has to do with the fact that it is finals time, so I've been busy with studying and papers and etc. and as such do not feel sufficiently far enough ahead to post more than just the one chapter. I apologize. Next weekend should be a bit better. Hopefully.  
**

**Next, when I wrote the original Curse of Echidna, I had reviewers submit entries for characters to be put in the story. I am reusing those same characters in order to give those original creators' the opportunity to see their character's chapter get a facelift. This is the first chapter with a reviewer submitted character. The creator of the character appearing in this chapter is called SailorSea. Thank you SailorSea for your character.**

**Finally, I use the phrase _deus ex machina _a couple of times. For those of you who don't know what it means, it means "god made it happen" and it is a literary plot device used in order to get characters out of a situation that seems impossible to get out of. This is often used by lazy authors in order to creat a quick fix, or else when editors are unhappy with the way things turned out, so the author just quickly fixes the issue. I actually use the plot device, but it is quite intentional, and done almost as a joke.**

Chapter 6: Charlotte

Needless to say, that had been one of the worst weekends of my life. I had failed to save a demigod's life, Hyperion was once again at large, Helen had very nearly discovered my weak point, and Kronos was still alive, out there somewhere. But Monday, unfortunately, wasn't exactly rest for the weary.

That morning, after the Thalia and I managed to work through the shower situation and eat breakfast, we went downstairs and out onto the street, where my new car was parked on the curb. It wasn't anything particularly special, but it ran and didn't look terrible. Paul had also been kind enough to procure me a school parking pass, so that wouldn't be a problem.

I hoped in on the driver's side, and Thalia sat next to me. I started up the car, and we were off. Traffic was, surprisingly, not bad, so we arrived at school with plenty of time. After stopping by our lockers, and just generally milling around a bit, we went to home room, being some of the first people there. Maybe this car thing wasn't too bad, after all. We took our usual seats in the back. We were both much quieter than usual. I was still depressed about James's death, and vexed about my dream about Kronos, which I hadn't told anyone, not even Annabeth. For some reason, I wanted to think this one over myself.

Thalia, too, was quiet and reserved. I think she was just tired. It was only the second week of school, and we were both frayed and worn out.

After a while, others began to file in. Thalia absentmindedly pulled out a piece of paper, and just started reading it. I had a feeling that it was the list of demigods, but didn't say anything. Neither of us were really interested in this day at all. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like our morning announcer felt the same. Helen's voice had her usual over-peppy-ness, but I also detected a hint of savage satisfaction in her voice.

Her announcements were mostly the normal stuff, until we heard, "And finally, will Charlotte Dempsy please report to the main office after school." Thalia gasped. "Have a nice day," Helen finished.

"Shit," Thalia said. "Charlotte Dempsy is on the list."

I banged my head against the desk. "Can't there be one day that we don't have to save someone?"

"C'mon, Percy," Thalia said, "you know that's not how things work. Not where you and I are concerned."

"Ugh," I said. "I had a swim meet today, too."

"Yeah… I was thinking… you know, with both of us having all this demigod stuff going on, I think you and I should both quit from our respective teams. It's too much to deal with."

I thought a moment. "Yeah, I guess. You know, just when I thought I had a chance at being a normal kid for just one school year, you walked in the door."

Thalia made a face. "Please, you'd be bored with normal. I know you, you'd get stir crazy."

I sighed. "I just can't believe I let him down. That kid died because I wasn't good enough."

Thalia opened her mouth, no doubt to make some comforting comment, but just then, the bell rang, and I got up and left quickly. I didn't want to talk about it. Too many people had died because of me. Bianca, Beckendorf, Ethan, Silena, Luke… now I could add another name to the long list of people I had been unable to save. I wasn't going to let it happen again. I was going to save Charlotte, and every other demigod at Goode.

Later that day, I went to my coach and explained that a family emergency had come up, and that I wouldn't be able to stay on the team. He begged me to at least stay through this meet, but I shook my head and apologized again, telling him that next year I would try to come back.

Also, I realized during lunch that Thalia and I had never actually made a plan to go save Charlotte, so I set out to look for her. Thankfully, due to the Bonnie and Clyde situation, I knew what class she had next. I hurried to her class before lunch actually ended, and waited. It would be so much easier for us if we both had the same lunch period.

The bell rang, and a few minutes later, Thalia came along. "Percy? What's up?"

"We don't have a plan," I said. "For saving Charlotte. Where do you want to meet? What do you want to do?"

She scratched her chin. "Well, meet me by my locker five minutes before school ends, then we'll go down and stake out the office."

I nodded. "Alright, sounds fine." I went to leave, but Thalia grabbed my arm.

"Hey, look. It's okay. No one is perfect, Percy. And… you've seen others die before. Why is this one affecting you so badly?"

I frowned as the bell rang. "I guess… we just go through so much death and destruction. It's not fair that things are instantly starting to escalate again. Death shouldn't be happening so soon after so much of death. And… Death's own son… how could he let that happen to him?"

"I don't have the answers Percy. Look, I've gotta get in there. You'll be okay." Then she surprised both of us by hugging me. It was the hug of one who considered themselves a sibling. When she pulled back, the look on her face was as confused as I was. "Percy… I think… I think I consider you my brother." She tilted her head slightly. "It certainly feels the same as…"

"Thalia," snapped a voice from the classroom, Mrs. Rolle, "were you planning on actually joining us?"

"Sorry," Thalia said. She gave me one last look, almost like she wasn't seeing me, but someone else.

I tilted my head, confused. Hugging me felt the same as… what?

I made it through the rest of the day, but my mood didn't improve. Classes were far too long, and only increased the amount of time that something could go wrong that would mean another death on my conscious. And I was tired, so very tired.

As I sat through my history class, my ADHD mind reminded me of the conversation I'd had on the phone with Annabeth last week, when I'd first told her about the situation at school. She'd been about to say something at the end, but she'd cut herself off. What had that been? I puzzled that through the rest of class. I had meant to ask her about it the next time we spoke, but I'd forgotten about it until now. I would have to call her once this whole Charlotte business was over with.

Speaking of over with, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. The next period I had study hall, and it was the last class of the day. The proctor for this study hall was really strict, and wouldn't let anyone leave, which left me with a problem. Thalia had told me to meet her by her locker five minutes before school ended, and I had no intention of missing that. I was determined to save Charlotte.

I had two options: skip study hall and risk getting in trouble, or use one of my most shaky demigod abilities. All demigods had the ability to influence the Mist, and make people think what whichever demigod wanted them to. It was sort of the demigod equivalent of a Jedi mind trick. Thalia was particularly adept at it. I, on the other hand, was extremely poor. I'd started trying to learn how to do it as soon as I'd seen Thalia do it for the first time. Come December, it would be about two years since me trying to learn that demigod power. I was still struggling. I couldn't exactly practice a whole lot, but the few times I tried, I succeeded only about a quarter of the time.

So it obviously seemed like skipping was a better choice. Unfortunately, just as I'd decided that, the athletic director showed up, and had a long talk with me about the swim team, and why'd I'd quit. The late bell rang, and he insisted on walking me to class so that I wouldn't get in trouble for being late. I didn't, but then there was a major issue. Now the only way to get out of class early was if I managed to successfully influence the Mist.

I sat in the back, focusing hard, and watching the clock. Sometimes, influencing the Mist was easier with an object, so I pulled out a blank sheet of paper. If I had been any good at forging, I would have just forged a note excusing me earlier, but I was so lousy, that would have been more doomed to failure than trying to influence the mist.

So, as the five minute mark approached, I went to the front with my "psychic paper" in the hopes that I could make her think it was a note excusing me early.

"Hi," I said, handing her the paper. As soon as she took it, I snapped my fingers, tried to work in that special quality of voice that influenced the Mist, and said, "As you can see, this note excuses me early from class."

She looked unimpressed, "Jackson, this is a blank sheet of paper."

_Shit._ I cleared my throat, snapped my fingers, and tried again, "Are you sure, ma'am?"

Her eyes glazed over. "Yes, of course. You may go." She handed me back the blank sheet of paper.

I was dumbfounded. It had worked. "Thank you," I said quickly, then bolted from the room before my little trick had worn off. In the hall, I did a double fist pump in the air. I couldn't believe I'd actually been successful, but it wasn't the time to celebrate. I got serious again and darted in the direction of Thalia's locker.

"There you are," she said. "Good. Alright, let's get over to the main office."

After walking downstairs, and towards the office, the bell rang, signaling that school was over. Thalia and I ducked into the empty closet across from the office and sat silent, waiting, Thalia holding the door open just a tad, allowing her to peak out. After the huge mass of students had passed by, Thalia whispered back to me, "I think that's her. There's a girl going into the office."

I nodded then whispered back, "So what's the plan?"

Thalia turned back to me. "Plans? Since when have you and I ever had a successful plan? Let's go."

She burst out of the door, and I followed. We came into the office, where Helen was standing. "Ah, Jackson, Grace. I wondered when you two would be arriving. How are you doing, Jackson? I know that the death of James must have weighed heavily on you."

I lost it, and ran at her. Thalia grabbed me and struggled to hold me back. "Not here, Percy. Not now. You've got to control yourself. If you assault her here, then you'll be in real trouble."

Helen smirked. "Quite right, too. There are, of course, cameras in here. And, as you know, there are other people who work in this office that would hear you if you tried to beat me up. Now, Jackson, to business. You see, I want something, and you want to save someone. So I'll give you an ultimatum. I will give you Charlotte, hand her over to you, and you can take her to that silly little camp of yours. But you have to give me something in exchange. I want to know where your Achilles Heel is. And don't tell me it's your heal, I know it's somewhere on your back, I just need to know where specifically."

"And if I don't?" I asked.

"Well, then, you'll have to watch Charlotte die. You see, I've introduced her to a very dear friend of mine, someone with whom I believe you are acquainted. She's my Aunt, she's everyone's Aunt. I must say, she makes amazing fast food. And don't even get me started one her artwork."

My mind raced. Who was Helen talking about? Who could it be? Fast food, artwork, Aunt… Aunt… Auntie… Aunty Em… Medusa! "No!" I exclaimed. "You wouldn't!"

"But I would," Helen said. "You don't know it, but Aunty Em has been teaching her since the year began. In fact, she's Charlotte's pottery teacher, with whom Charlotte gets along very well with. Charlotte came in to have a meeting with her. With a mere snap of my fingers, I can make a message appear to Aunty Em to take that silly headdress of hers off. You and I both know what will happen then."

I opened my mouth in dismay. Thalia spoke up. "Aunty Em?"

"Medusa," I told her grimly.

Thalia looked shocked. "Oh my gods… Helen, you wouldn't."

"You seem to be forgetting," Helen said, "that I have no reason not to. Nor have I given you any indication the past, oh, almost a week the year has been going, that I would hesitate. I practically killed James to get my way. Why should Charlotte be any different?"

Thalia and I looked at each other. We didn't seem to have much of an option. Especially if Helen could tell Medusa to turn Charlotte to stone with a mere snap of her fingers. We didn't have any options at all. And then, suddenly, there was a deus ex machina moment (wow, having an English teacher as a step-father had actually caused me to learn something), as Nico shadow-travelled into the room right behind Helen.

"You," he said with spite. "I found you."

"Shit," Helen said as she whipped around.

I took her distraction as an opportunity. I motioned at Thalia to help Nico, then I ran off as quietly as I could, looking in all the doors to the various rooms of the office. I finally found the right one, or at least, the only one with a middle eastern woman in it. As I was about to burst in, I heard Helen say, "Jackson!" followed by a snapping sound.

On cue the woman started to take off her headdress. I had no time to think. I burst into the room, jumped up on the table between Medusa and the girl, and saw, clearly and with horror, Medusa's face. Snakes writhed and hissed on top of her head, her skin was a sickly color, and she looked really mad. I thought that would be the last thing I ever saw. I thought I would be turned to stone. I was not, as much to her surprise as mine. Luckily, I recovered more quickly. I ripped out Riptide and stabbed her in the middle of the chest. Suddenly she was a pile of dust.

I turned to the girl behind me. She had hazel colored eyes and long brown hair. She was dressed rather formally for school, wearing a plain white blouse and a long skirt. She looked really shocked. "Hi," I said. "The name's Percy Jackson. Sorry I just killed your art teacher, but she was Medusa. Any questions?"

She blinked, still shocked and unprepared at all for what had just happened. It was at that moment that Thalia burst into the room. "So, Percy, we should go. Teachers came into the room and grabbed Nico. He shadow-travelled away before they could call the cops or anything, but I'm afraid that if we don't leave quickly they'll blame us for beating up Helen."

I nodded and turned to the window, opening it. "Let's get out of here. Now. Grab Charlotte."

Charlotte just made incoherent noises. "There, there," said Thalia as she pulled Charlotte up and walked her to the window which I had already climbed out. It took a bit to get the shocked Charlotte out of the window, but we managed it. Just in time, too.

We hid under the window as faculty burst into the room we had just been in and said, "No one here. Let's keep going."

Thalia and I looked at each other, grabbed Charlotte, and raced to my car. Thalia got in the back with Charlotte, whilst I peeled out of the parking lot. _Wow_, I thought, my mind racing. _What a moment of deus ex machina. Like… I didn't think it actually happened in real life. For that matter, I didn't think that I would remember what deus ex machina would mean. _

"Lucky thing about Nico showing up," I said.

Thalia answered back, "Not really luck, no. I told him where he might be able to find Helen after you guys got back from the… after you guys got back on Saturday. It's lucky that he showed up when he did, but not that he knew where to find Helen."

"I see," I said. "Hey, Thalia, I have a question. Has Medusa ever failed to turn someone to stone who looked right in her face before?"

"No," Thalia said. "She's never failed when someone has actually seen her face. Why?"

"Well," I said, "I may have just defied reality. I looked her right in the face, I got the full blast of her power, but I'm not stone."

"That's… not possible," Thalia said. "Unless… well… I mean, Achilles and Medusa never encountered one another, and you are one of only three people, including Achilles, who has bourn that curse. It's entirely possible that the curse of Achilles makes you impossible to turn to stone. That's a surprising benefit."

"Yeah," I said, "but it's called a curse for a reason." I broke off in a yawn. "I lose energy twice as fast as you, and yet we've been going non-stop for almost a week. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it too much farther on the energy I have left."

I heard Thalia start to respond, when Charlotte decided she had found her voice. "What is going on?!"

I glanced in the rearview mirror. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"I _believe_ that you two are criminals! You killed my teacher, beat up Helen, and kidnapped me! What about my family? What about my friends? What kind of ransom are you going to charge them? And why is this car messy?"

"Easy, now," Thalia said.

"Yeah," I said. "Think for a minute, Charlotte. This is a new to me car. I haven't had the time to make a mess in it. What could possibly be bothering you about it?

"Really Percy?" Thalia said.

"It's the carpets," Charlotte supplied. "They haven't been vacuumed."

"Who vacuums the car carpets?" I asked, incredulously.

"Percy, stop," Thalia said. "Charlotte, think about this for a minute. Did you see your teacher's body when we left the room?"

"No," she said.

"Right," Thalia said. "If she had been human then you would have seen the body, but she wasn't human, and, therefore, her body dissolved into dust."

"Plus," I added, "didn't it seem odd that she was just randomly taking off her headdress? I told you, she was Medusa. She would have turned you to stone."

"But Medusa is a myth!" Charlotte protested.

Thalia sighed. "That's what we all think at first, but no, she's not. Those monsters you learned about that the Greeks believed in? They weren't myths, they were true."

"So what, are you going to tell me that the Greek gods are real?" she asked. "There's only one God."

I was silent. So was Thalia. The whole God with a capital "g" had always been… a contested thing for demigods, to say the very least. Chiron had been very unclear about whether there was a higher being than the gods and titans. But really, for us, it didn't matter. We knew where we'd go after death. Both Thalia and I had been to the underworld. After a pause, I said, "Look, Charlotte, you're going to have to forget all your preconceived notions of what you believe to be truth and what you believe to be myth. That's all I'll say."

We sat in silence as we drove through Manhattan and reached my apartment. "Okay," I said, turning to Thalia, "I'm going to run in and tell mom where we're going." She nodded.

I hurried inside and talked to mom, then I was back out in the car. When I got in, I noticed something odd. Charlotte was smiling. I gave Thalia a questioning glance. "Charlotte has a picture of her mother she always carries around. I told her we knew her mother. She didn't believe me until I described her mother as she appeared in the picture with perfect accuracy, then I told her that she might have a chance to meet her mother."

"Is that true?" Charlotte asked me, the incredulity in her voice gone, replaced with wonder and hope.

"Yes," I said. And with that we were off again.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello, again. So for the second week in a row, I am unable to put up five chapters, and you'll have to settle for one. I thought I could manage writing during finals week, but I was mistaken. Anyhow, here is this week's chapter. The featured character was created by Nariek Hyokame. Thank you very much for your charcter. **

Chapter 7: Alex

You would think that Helen and Echidna would get tired of their breakneck pace, but no, that wasn't the case. It was never the case.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Thalia and I had gotten Charlotte to camp, and then we'd gone home. I called Annabeth quickly to tell her what had happened.

"Well I'm glad you managed to save Charlotte, Percy," she said. "As for Nico, I think you need to find him. He might actually be helpful to you and Thalia. And I think he's probably taking James's death worse than you are. He could use you, and you could use him."

"I don't know where to –" I cut myself off with a monstrous yawn. I was dead tired. My invulnerability sapped all the energy out of me, especially on busy days where I saw a lot of action. And every day recently I had been in some kind of action.

"You need to sleep, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. "Get some rest."

"Oh, alright," I said. "Hey, Annabeth, before I go, do you want to go on a date tomorrow night? We're both in New York for once, and there are really a lot of amazing things here in the City, which I know you've not really gotten to experience. We could… I don't know… go to a Broadway show."

"It'd be a Tuesday, though," Annabeth said. "I thought shows only ran on the weekends."

I chuckled. "Not in New York they don't. Every day of the week. And as far as tickets go, there's this great place called TKTS, where you can get cheap tickets for shows the day off. I could meet you at TKTS after school, then we could buy the tickets."

Annabeth made a thoughtful sound. "Alright then, sounds like a plan. Where is TKTS?"

There were multiple branches of TKTS, but probably the easiest for her to fid would be the one in Time's Square. Unfortunately, that meant I had to go to Time's Square. For those of you who aren't New Yorkers, New Yorkers hate going to Time's Square. It's always so packed with tourists, and the flashy lights and sounds go on all year, not just on New Years' Day. But I was willing to go to Time's Square for Annabeth. "Time's Square," I said before I could change my mind. "Do you know how to get there?"

"Yes," Annabeth said. "Now get some rest Seaweed Brain. Good night. I… I…"

"You what?" I asked. She'd done this last time we talked on the phone too. Come to think of it, she'd done something similar on Saturday when she'd gone to leave.

"Good bye." And she hung up. What was going on with her? What was she not telling me? I was starting to get worried. Then I yawned, and realized that I badly needed sleep. So off to bed I went. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant sleep.

* * *

I was sitting in my father's throne on Olympus as the other gods argued amongst themselves. Then, on the floor in front of me, appeared a man in ancient armor, older than the Greeks, with close cropped steel gray hair and goatee. His eyes flashed golden. "Hello, Jackson," Kronos said, for it was him, but he looked about fifteen years younger than he'd been in my last dream. "As you can see, I've lost a few years. Don't try to speak; you can't anyway." He made a broad sweeping gesture to the throne room. "The Olympian Council, in all its glory. But, Jackson, tell me. Do you notice anything different about them?" I didn't know what he meant, but as I looked around, I noticed some… oddities. Zeus seemed much more controlled and serious, and his hair was blonde rather than black. Hera wore a goatskin cloak about her shoulders. Athena hid underneath a hood, but I could still see a scowl underneath. I couldn't see my father, as I was looking from his position, but I assumed he too had changed in ways. Every single Olympian god had something different about them.

"Thought you might," Kronos said. "You see, your precious gods have been hiding a fairly big truth from you, Jackson. You and all your Camp Half-Blood friends. They haven't told you the duality of their nature. And when you discover their betrayal… well, I think it will shake even your powerful beliefs." Kronos chuckled. "Now, Jackson, down to business. I know, I know, why was I stalling for so long? Perhaps I like to show you how little you actually know. Maybe I just like torturing you.

"But no, the real reason I'd like to speak to you is this. I want – no, need – you to defeat Helen and her master's little crew. They… disgraced me. I fall upon a minor setback, and suddenly they abandon me for a new master. You can imagine my hatred for them." There was a shift in his voice, and it became more human like as he said, "It's like when Voldemort's death eaters abandoned him after he failed to kill Harry Potter." His voice snapped back. "Damn it! Jackson, for your future reference, if you ever possess someone, you need to realize that it's a two way street. When I possessed Luke I unfortunately picked up some of his little… nuances, such as a cursed fondness of the Harry Potter books.

"But look at me, I'm ranting to you. I honestly don't know what's wrong with me. Well, Jackson, I suppose I'll let you get back to… whatever it is you do while you sleep. Remember – kill Helen, her master, and anyone who aligns with them."

* * *

I didn't tell Thalia about my dream in the morning. I didn't know why, but something about the fact that Kronos was appearing to me in my sleep kept me from sharing. I didn't understand why Kronos was showing up, but part of me was afraid that –

But no, that couldn't be, he had been destroyed along with Luke. Right?

As we drove to school, Thalia turned to me. "You know, Percy, we've been doing good work. But it's all been happening so fast."

I nodded, eyes still on the road. "Thalia, I have a question. Yesterday, after we hugged, you said it felt like something… like hugging someone… else. And when you looked at me, you kind of… didn't see _me_." I glanced at her briefly. "Who were you seeing?"

Thalia's eyes steeled over, and I knew I wasn't getting the truth. I looked back at the road as she said. "Luke. Before everything went wrong." It was a lie. I could hear it in her voice, and I had seen it coming in her eyes when I had glanced over. Yes, it was a lie. A very clever one, but a lie. It was actually believable. If I hadn't been living with Thalia the past few days, maybe I wouldn't have known. Regardless, I knew better than to push it. I wasn't going to get the answer out of her.

"Alright," I said, then cleared my throat, ready to change the subject. "So… I have a date with Annabeth tonight. Um… you know, I'd like to be on time, so if we have to save another demigod, can you drive him or her to camp?"

Thalia was silent for a few moments, probably trying to calm herself before speaking. Apparently my question about the hug had struck a sensitive spot. She, too, cleared her throat, and said, with a slight crack in her voice, "Sure, Percy. Though I think Annabeth would understand if you were late because you were helping out a demigod."

I nodded. "I know, but I'm taking her to a show, and we need to go to TKTS right after school if we want tickets to any good shows." I paused. "Thalia, I have another question. Every time we've talked or seen each other recently, when Annabeth is about to say good bye, she starts to say something, but always cuts herself off."

"I'm sure if it was really important, she'd tell you," Thalia said.

"That's what I thought," I responded. "But, as I said, she's started to say it every time we say good bye, then cut herself off before saying it."

"Oh," Thalia said. "I know what it is she's trying to tell you."

"Really?" I asked, excited, as we pulled up to a stoplight. "What? What is she trying to tell me?"

Thalia chuckled. "I can't do that, Seaweed Brain. If you can't figure it out yourself, you're gonna have to wait until she tells you herself." She chuckled again. "Oh, man, I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet. But, yes, you should probably be on time this afternoon. Don't worry, I can drive the kid we're probably going to save today to camp."

"Thanks, Thalia," I said.

She chuckled. "You're welcome, Seaweed Brain. Light's green."

"I see it," I said, as I put my foot on the gas pedal.

* * *

When we arrived at school, I took my usual seat in homeroom, and sat through Helen's usual over cheery announcements, then went off to my usual day. It actually looked like I was going to have a relatively normal day today. This was good news for me. It meant going to a date with Annabeth where I wasn't totally exhausted. How wrong I was.

It all started in shop class. I sat down in the back on one of the many stools as my various classmates filed in. I didn't really care for this class one way or the other, and neither did anyone else. It was supposedly an easy A, and thus why we were all in shop.

After everyone came in, the teacher entered, but he wasn't alone. With him was what looked like a middle school girl, who had fiery auburn hair and big brown eyes. I chuckled when I glanced at her shirt. It was Captain Hammer t-shirt. You know, from _Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog?_ Black with a yellow circle, in which was a hammer.

"Hello class," said the teacher, Mr. Sawwes, a gruff man with a scraggly beard that always wore plaid. "This is Alex Thompson. She's a freshman, and has just opted to fill one of her study halls with this class. As it's still early enough in the year, I didn't see a problem with it. So, Miss Thompson, I believe there's an empty stool next to Jackson. He's the kid with the long black hair and the Green Lantern t-shirt."

I was wearing my Green Lantern t-shirt today…? I looked down. Oh, I suppose so.

Alex came and sat down next to me. "Hi," she said, rather boldly. "I'm Alex. I'm a Freshman, but I'm only thirteen. That's because my birthday is in October. I love working with machines and building things."

"Hi," I said. "I'm Percy, and I'm in here because I needed an elective. I'm a Sophmore."

"Yeah," said the guy next to me, "but don't be fooled by him, he's a total dumbass. He's already sixteen because his mom started him late."

I shot the kid in question a nasty glare.

After that, class proceeded fairly normally. That was until someone knocked on the door. Mr. Sawwe went over to it. He opened the door, and in stepped a massive man with grayish skin. I had seen him before…

"Hello," he said. He sounded like a used-car salesman. "Could I borrow Mr. Jackson and Ms. Thompson?"

Mr. Sawwe nodded. Alex got up quickly and walked to the door. I got up too, but I was much more wary. I recognized this man, and that was never a good sign where I'm concerned. It didn't necessarily mean anything. I mean, the fact that he had called one half-blood out of class along with a mortal didn't necessarily mean anything.

Then, as I was walking, the demigod list slipped out of my bag. As I bent down to pick it up, I caught Alex's name. I closed my eyes. We were both demigods, which meant this couldn't be a coincidence. Nonetheless, I exited out into the hall with the man and Alex. I had to stay to keep an eye on Alex.

We stopped at one more classroom where Thalia joined us. When she saw me, her face got stony. She must've realized we were in for trouble once she'd seen me. As we walked along the halls, the man in front, Alex next, and the two of us bringing up the rear, Thalia whispered to me, "So what's the story?"

"That man picked up me and Alex, that girl, from shop class. She'd just been switched to it today. She's a demigod," I whispered back.

"Do you know him?" Thalia asked.

"Yes," I said. "I just can't quite place it… I think he was somehow involved with my first quest…" Then it struck me. I don't know why it had taken so long, especially since I had recognized Echidna instantly. This guy was from my first quest. He was Crusty, the insane mattress salesman who had tried to stretch my friends to death. "I know who he is." I briefly told Thalia about my first encounter with him.

"Can we just stab him now?" she whispered.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Alex asked, glancing back at us.

"I'd like to know too," said Crusty. "But we've reached our destination." He indicated a door to the right. He opened it, to reveal a pitch black room. Then he pushed all of us in and snapped the door shut. Suddenly, something wrapped around my wrists and ankles, and I was pulled back onto a soft horizontal surface. I heard cries of alarm from the other two as the same thing happened with them.

The light's flicked on. The room was full of beds. Alex was directly across from me, while Thalia was to my right. All three of us were on beds. "Curses," Crusty said. "You're all too short." He snapped his fingers again. Thalia and Alex gasped in alarm and pain as the chains attaching us to the bed tightened, and we were all stretched. Well, they were, but my invulnerability prevented that from happening to me. All I had to do was wait until the chains snapped from the strain. Unfortunately, Thalia and Alex might be stretched to death by the time that happened.

"Hey, Crusty," I said. "Any customers recently?"

"Ah, Mr. Jackson," he said. "Good to see you, again. How do you like that bed?"

"This one?" I said. "It's great."

"What are you doing?" Thalia grunted at me.

I shot her a glance. "So Crusty," I continued, "I hope you didn't get upset about what I did to you last time we met. I really was intrigued by what you had to offer, but I had this important quest that I was on, and as awesome as your beds were, I really didn't have the time to go through the resizing process that day."

Crusty waved his hand, his attention fully on me. I just had to keep him talking until I thought of something. Unfortunately, his massive body obscured Alex, so I had no clue how she was faring. "Think nothing of it, Mr. Jackson. I'm an understanding guy. And I hope you understood why I couldn't just let you leave. Bad for business, you know?"

I nodded. "I completely understand. So tell me Crusty, what are you doing here at Goode? What's so good about Goode?"

Crusty chuckled. "That was a good pun."

"Thanks," I said. "It's nice to have someone appreciate it. But you can't be selling many beds here?"

"Actually," he said, "I've been selling beds to the nurse's office her. Helen asked me to fetch Miss Thompson and Miss Grace and get them beds, but I heard you were here, and I knew that you'd want to get a bed, since you hadn't last time."

"You're quite right," I said, still stalling. I was totally blanking. I had nothing. And Thalia was starting to look like she was in serious pain. As for Alex… I severely hoped she was better than Thalia looked. "I must say, the craftsmanship on these beds is stunning as ever."

Crusty smiled. "Well thanks you Jackson. You are perhaps my favorite customer I've ever had. Most customers complain or whine, but you, you're not even wincing in pain. And you're impressed with my craftsmanship."

Just then, an axe beheaded Crusty. He dissolved into a pile of dust, and standing behind him was Alex.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "He uses the axe if you're too tall… forgot that bit. Good job Alex."

Her face was as bright as her hair from pain and exhaustion. "Thanks," she panted. "Why were you chatting it up with him? He's killing you and your friend."

"Speaking of which," I said, "help Thalia free before me. I'm fine. Really, I am. But she's not looking to great." As Alex broke the chains around Thalia's ankles and wrists, I explained. "I was talking to him to try and stall. I was trying to think of something to do, but I was totally blanking. Good thing you got free. By the way, how did you get free?"

Thalia was up, and she took the axe from Alex, and came over to cut off my chains. "I've always had a way with machines," Alex said. That made sense; the sheet had said that she was a daughter of Hephaestus. "I was just able to sense a weak link in one of the chains and exploited it to break the chain with relative ease. Then, with my free hand, I got my ankles and other arm free. It wasn't easy, and actually you trying to stall was the perfect cover. Anyway, I saw the axe, and I kind of just… acted."

I was free. "Well good job Alex," I said. Then I turned to Thalia. "You look exhausted."

"Well, I was nearly stretched to death," she said. "So, you know, I've had better days."

"That's it, I'm driving," I said. "You're in no condition to drive."

"But…" Thalia said, "even if we leave now, you won't be back in time to meet Annabeth in time."

I shrugged. "It's disappointing, but she'll understand. Plus, she'll probably still be in line at TKTS when I get back. I'll just have to call her real quick on our way out by Paul's office."

"Um," Alex said, "what are you guys talking about?"

I glanced at her. "We're talking about getting you to safety. Now that you've been targeted by Helen, this school is no longer safe for you. We need to get you to camp, where you'll be trained to fight."

"What?"

"It's confusing," Thalia said, "and he does a bad job explaining it. Look, just come with us. You're in danger here."

"But I hardly know you," Alex said. "You could be lying."

"Alex, listen," I said. "You've seen monsters, but no one ever believed you. You're dyslexic and you can't stay still. You're always on the move, whether physically or mentally. On top of that, you can do things that no one else can do. Maybe you've been to a museum and suddenly been able to read the inscription on some ancient Greek statue. You've never met your father, or if you have he was only around for a little while, and you haven't seen him since."

"How…"

"We're like you," Thalia said. "You've gotta trust us. We are your friends."

Alex looked back and forth between us. "Fine," she said, at last. "I'll go, but only if I get to keep the axe for the ride."


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: So yeah, I'm late updating today. Sorry. Also, not five chapters again. So sorry about that. But an update is better than no update right? Anyway, here you go.**

Chapter 8: Why I'm Banned From Broadway

I sped home after taking Alex to camp, then immediately ducked into my room to change. I came out in new jeans, a plain t-shirt, and a nice cyan sweater. "Thalia," I called out.

She emerged from the kitchen, crunching nachos. "Sup, Percy?"

I tossed her the car keys. "Here, just in case. I'm taking Mom's cell. If I have an emergency, I'll call you, okay?"

She nodded. "It'll be fine. Enjoy the theatre. And get over to TKTS before Annabeth decides not to hold your place in line anymore."

"Right," I said. "See you later." And with that, I was out the door, bounding down the stairs, and out onto the street. From here, it was only a block to the subway station. People who aren't from the city would probably say, just take your car, but that would be a terrible idea. I hadn't exactly thought the car was a great idea in the first place, but driving it to Time's Square would be like going into the Underworld, walking up to Hades, sucker punching him in the face, and then jumping into Tartarus. Not a good idea.

I entered the subway station and bought my ticket. As I descended to the platform, one of the security officers pulled me aside, asking to see my ticket. I showed him.

A look of disgust appeared on his face. "Time's Square?"

I sighed. "Yeah, unfortunately. My girlfriend is from out of town, so… yeah. Trust me, I am not looking forward to mobs of tourists pushing me around, like _I'm_ the one that doesn't belong."

I said my farewell, then boarded the train. As always, it was standing room only. As the train trundled along, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned. It was Nico, though I couldn't see him very well from the angle I was at.

"Nico," I said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," he said, "I wanted to talk to you. I'm sorry I complicated things at the school… yesterday? Was that yesterday?"

I gave him a weird look. "Yes, it was yesterday. How did you not remember?"

Nico glanced around. "Another time."

"Well," I said, taken slightly aback, "it's no problem. You actually saved Charlotte's life, probably. It was a deus ex machina moment, though." He shrugged. As the train shunted, I got a really good look at him. He looked awful. He had a black eye, and bruises were evident on his arms. "Nico, you look awful. What happened to you?"

"What's happening," he corrected. "It's still going on. And I can't tell you. It's related to why I wasn't sure yesterday was yesterday. I'm not really here, this is just a projection. I'm… doing some research. Soon, hopefully, I can tell you what's going on."

I tilted my head sideways a bit. "Well, listen, I thought it would be good if you helped us out more often. You know, we could pull some strings, make you a student at Goode."

He shook his head. "I'll be able to help occasionally, but I can't be full time. My research is keeping me far too busy. You're coming up on your stop, Percy, and I can't leave the subway. It's hard enough doing this projection, period. I don't think I could get it any farther up."

"Alright," I said. "Well, Nico, just be careful, wherever you are and whatever you're doing. And I'm sure I'll see you sometime."

He nodded. "Have a good time, Percy."

His form flickered, then he disappeared. What was Nico up to? And when did he plan on telling others? And how did he know where I was going?

* * *

After getting off the train at Time's Square, I made my way through the huge masses, and hurried over to TKTS. I had managed to get a hold of Annabeth and had her go ahead and get in line, but I really didn't want to be late. A bit too late for that though. Ha, late.

I finally made my way over to TKTS, which was in the middle of Time's Square, where you could see the flashy lights and the shiny billboards from all sides. I ran up and down the line looking for Annabeth, but couldn't find her. I was starting to worry. Suddenly a hand shot out of the line and grabbed my arm. I turned, surprised. It was Annabeth. I had run past her at least twice, which she had apparently found amusing, because she was laughing pretty hard.

"What's the matter, Seaweed Brain?" she asked. "Not used to seeing me in a skirt?"

That was probably part of it. She was dressed in dark, knee length skirt, and a white blouse. Her blonde hair was loose and wavy. "Uh," I said. "Would you hit me if I said yes?"

She laughed and playfully punched me in the arm. "Maybe. Your sweater is pretty nice, by the way."

"Thanks," I said. "Your everything is pretty nice."

She laughed. "Thanks." She kissed me, and my brain shut off for a moment. When it came back on she was saying, "Is this line always like this?"

"Yes," I said. "We're in Time's Square. Everything is always this busy. How's school going?"

"Pretty good," Annabeth said. "I've been keeping busy with architecture classes, and my calculus classes are going pretty well. I'm struggling in English though, the dyslexia thing is challenging to work through. In classical studies I'm doing really well though. I know it's only about a week in, but I think that I'm going to do really well this year."

"Good for you," I said. "First year back in classes, and you're definitely going to blow me out of the water."

She smiled. "I'm sure you're doing great, Percy."

We slowly moved forward in line, chatting about mundane life, until eventually I got to talking about today, specifically my conversation with Nico. "Do you have any clue at all what sort of research he's doing?" I asked. "And how he got hurt so badly doing it?"

Annabeth's eyebrows were pulled pretty tightly. "I don't know Percy. Seems kind of mysterious. Anything else weird happen recently with Nico, besides what you've already told me?"

"No," I said. Then, suddenly, I remembered. "Well, there was this second door in his cabin, but there wasn't a back exit. And he said it didn't lead to the Underworld either."

"Then why did he put it there?"

"He said he didn't," I said. "He said that he opened the door to the cabin one day, and it was there."

Annabeth stood still, contemplating. "I really have no clue Percy. I'm sure he'll say something."

"Have you met Nico?" I asked. "He's the most secretive kid I know. He probably won't just tell us what's behind that door, or what his research is about. I'd like to find out myself, someday."

Annabeth shrugged. "You can't force him to tell you. And you can't break into his cabin. If he wants privacy, then give it to him. If he needs you, he'll tell you more."

"I guess," I said. "Sometimes, though, I just don't completely trust him. He's dangerous. He may not look like it, but he's as powerful as Thalia or I. The three of us are probably the three most powerful demigods alive. If he goes bad again… well I don't know if I'd be able to save him again. His powers have grown exponentially more powerful recently."

"It'll be fine, Percy," Annabeth said. "You need to trust him. Just because he's secretive doesn't mean he's untrustworthy."

"I guess," I said.

After that, we were silent for a bit, until we started talking about more lighthearted things again. We went through several topics, until, eventually, we were at the front of the line, where a red-haired lady with strange purple eyes asked us what show we wanted to see. There were still available tickets for Wicked, so I asked for two tickets for that show. It was a pretty big deal, apparently, and both Annabeth and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

The red-haired girl smiled and said, "Well have a magical time at Wicked."

"Thanks," Annabeth and I both said. We still had a couple hours before Wicked, so we walked around the Time's Square area. A couple times, people tried to ask me if I wanted a guided tour of New York. My response was always, "Buddy, I am a New Yorker. Why would I need a tour?"

* * *

We stopped at the Time's Square McDonalds to eat. Not the classiest meal Annabeth and I had ever had, but we needed to get something quick. Then we hurried off to the Gershwin Theatre. Now, I know what you may be wondering. The Gershwin Theatre? I thought you were taking her to Broadway? Well for all you non-New Yorkers out there, Broadway isn't just one theatre. It's a bunch of theatres, of which the Gershwin Theatre was one.

We entered the theatre about a half hour early and found our seats. They were in the middle section only a few rows back from the orchestra. They were insanely good seats. I was surprised; we shouldn't have been able to get these seats for the price we payed. Something was wrong…

Annabeth leaned to me, "These are great seats, Percy. I'm surprised we got them." Then she put her head on my shoulder and all my worries were forgotten. It didn't feel like very long until the curtain was up, and the cast of the show was singing "Good news! She's dead!" and off went the show.

I'm not very artsy, but I thought Wicked was really good. As intermission rolled around, I sat eagerly, waiting for the second act. Unfortunately, I wouldn't get to see it.

As long as it was intermission, I decided to go to the bathroom. As I was washing my hands, I heard a commotion from outside. I hurried out, and saw something that made my stomach drop. The girl from TKTS was holding a knife to Annabeth's throat. People were screaming and running in all directions. I jolted forward, but slammed into an invisible wall.

The girl laughed. "Hello, Percy Jackson. So you're the one I have to hear my idiotic half-sister complain about all the time. 'I can't find his weak spot, wah, wah wah.' Well look at you now."

"Who are you?" I growled. "Let her go!"

She laughed. "Right to the point? No witty banter? I'm disappointed. Whenever Luke spoke of you, he would always mention how much your witty banter annoyed him."

I was suddenly very confused. Who was this person? Annabeth was gritting her teeth, struggling to break free from the woman's grasp. All she did was laugh again. "Now, now, my dear. We wouldn't want to hurt that beautiful head of yours. And your boyfriend would be so upset if you died before you could share your little secret with him. Go ahead. Tell him. Now. When's better than just before death?"

She elbowed the woman, who let her go. "I'll tell him in my own time," Annabeth snapped, then tried to hurry over to me, but she ran into the invisible wall, too.

The red-haired woman laughed again. "And Luke always spoke so highly of your intelligence. I'm disappointed. Anyway, for introductions: I am Andromeda, daughter of Trivia… excuse me, daughter of _Hecate_. Trivia is such a better name though, wouldn't you agree?" I gave her a confused look. Annabeth was turned in Andromeda's direction, probably giving her a death glare. "Nevermind, you wouldn't know." Suddenly, she was holding Annabeth again, a knife to her throat. I hadn't even seen it happen. And from the surprised look on Annabeth's face, neither had she. "So, Jackson," she said. "I'm going to offer you a trade. I will give you your girlfriend, unharmed, but I want something in return. Not your weak point, no, I'll let my idiot sister Helen bumble away at trying to find that. I want something else. It's not even something difficult. I want you to cut a gash in my arm."

"What?" both Annabeth and I asked, in confusion.

"I'm not going to explain my reasoning," Andromeda said. "It has to do with politics, let's just leave it at that." She brandished her free arm, where there was a tattoo with what looked like bars code and the letters SPQR. "Just slice this tattoo."

"I don't like this Percy," Annabeth said.

"This seems suspicious," I told Andromeda. "Why would you want me to cut you?"

She shrugged. "Why indeed? Maybe I'm emo, but I don't think either of you would believe that. I'm not asking for much. Since when has it been an issue for you to slash the person holding your girlfriend captive?"

"Why the invisible wall if you want me to just hurt you?" I asked.

Andromeda sighed. "Firstly, it's more of a field, not a wall. As for why, I had to be sure you would cooperate. See, if you were to slash me anywhere else, that wouldn't produce the same results that I want."

"What's your plan?" I snapped.

"Do I look like I have a plan?" she asked. "I'm just a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't-"

"Oh shut up," Annabeth snapped. "Do you really think quoting the Joker has a place here?"

"Yeah," I added. "I mean, he was a great villain, but he obviously had a plan. And so do you. So cut the bull."

Andromeda looked taken aback, but she pressed the knife into Annabeth's throat, where little beads of blood appeared.

"Just do it Jackson," Andromeda said. "Unless you want to see your girlfriend's head severed from her body."

I sighed. I looked at Annabeth. "I don't know what she's planning, but I'm going to do it."

"Percy…"

"Shut up," Andromeda said to Annabeth. "The field is down."

I walked forward and pulled out my sword. Now that I was closer, I saw that Andromeda's dagger was made of gold, rather than bronze, which I found very odd. She held out the arm with the tattoo.

"If you could slice the SPQR," Andromeda said, "that'd be great."

"Fine," I said. I quickly did the slice, and then there was a gash across the SPQR. Andromeda winced in pain, and let go of Annabeth, sheathed her knife, and put her free hand over the bleeding gash. I grabbed Annabeth and kissed her quickly, before turning back to Andromeda.

"Many thanks, Jackson," Andromeda said. "I'll be off now." She disappeared, but then her voice came back. "I'll just leave you with an old friend."

There was a roar from the bathroom. Suddenly the door was torn off its hinges as a massive form emerged. His legs were fairly normal and covered in torn blue jeans. His torso and head though, they were a bull's. That's right. You know him, you love him, it's the Minotaur!

He charged. I stepped in front of Annabeth, but she pushed me aside, pulling out her own dagger. "Please," she said. "Let me take out some anger on him."

As he got close, Annabeth took one step to the side, and dug her dagger into his ribcage. He bellowed, then dissolved.

"Whoa," I said. "Remind me again, why anyone would want to get on your bad side."

She smirked. "No one would want to get on my bad side. And Andromeda did. Talking about Luke like that…"

I felt awkward. Annabeth and I were happy together, but Luke was a… touchy subject, at best. "Well," I said, "I'm sorry our night at the theatre got ruined. We're probably banned now, but do you want to come over and have some birthday bash ice cream?" Birthday bash is my favorite ice cream because it's blue.

She smiled. "That would be nice."

I pulled out mom's phone. I hadn't really had a chance to call Thalia before, but I did now. Mom picked up the phone. "Hi Percy, what's up?"

"Hi, Mom," I said. "Could you give the phone to Thalia?"

"Sure," she said.

After a pause, Thalia was at the phone, "Hi Percy. Sup?" There was a lot of background noise, and what sounded like shooting of guns.

"Um… could you come pick us up?" I asked.

"Are you in danger?" she asked.

"Well… no," I said. "Not anymore."

"Then take the train," she said. "I'm the middle of a match. Shit shit shit SHIT! Oh, hey, look, I'm still alive. And BOOM! Headshot."

"You're playing Call of Duty, aren't you?" I asked.

"Hell yeah I am," she said. "Look, someone's gotta show these dudes that girls can totally kick just as much video game ass as they can. And who better than the lieutenant of Artemis to do so?"

I sighed. "Fine, see you in a bit."

* * *

After dodging our way through the police who had just arrived at the theatre, Annabeth and I made our way to the subway station, where we took the train back to my place. As we walked through the living room, Thalia started muttering expletives as the scores came up.

"Lose?" I asked.

"No, I won," Thalia said. "But I didn't win by as large a margin as I would've liked." She stood up and gave Annabeth a hug. "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm okay," Annabeth said. "The theatre was a little too exciting for both of our tastes."

"Tell me what happened. Percy, get ice cream."

"Wait," I said. "I have to get the ice cream? You've been doing nothing but play CoD all night!"

"Well," she said, "I was nearly stretched to death today, so I deserve a break."

I rolled my eyes, but went into the kitchen and got out bowls, each of which I filled with a generous portion of ice cream, then came out into the living room, where Annabeth had just finished telling Thalia the story of the evening. "Andromeda huh? That seems odd…"

I cleared my throat. "But for now, ice cream. Let's not worry about Andromeda now."

We ate the ice cream quickly, then Annabeth and Thalia played two player on Portal 2, while I watched. That game was way too complicated for me. Eventually Thalia went to bed, and Annabeth and I sat on the couch talking a little and kissing a lot. And then she had to go. As I walked her to the door, I asked, "Annabeth, what secret are you hiding? What do you need to tell me?"

She bit her lower lip. "Percy I… I can't, not tonight. I promise I will tell you soon."

"But what-" she cut me off with one last kiss. By the time my brain had turned back on, she was gone. What was going on with Annabeth?


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: And the next chapter. Only one again, but when I can finish Chapter 10, I already have a few more ready to go. So next week I should be able to give you guys at least three chapters. So yay! The character in this story was submitted by JustGoingWithTheWind.**

Chapter 9: Raye Lynn

Wednesday: hump day. It had officially been more than a week since school started, and still there was no rest for the weary. I had to wake up the same time as always. As I waited outside the shower for Thalia, I fell back asleep. After showering I made the mistake of looking at my refection. I looked awful. I'd been told that I was handsome, and that several girls would date me if I wanted to go for them. Looking at myself, I didn't see it. My eyes were sunken, my hair was a mess, and for some reason, the gray streak that had steadily been fading was starting to become more obvious again. I might have once been attractive, but no longer. The Curse of Achilles was sucking energy out of me every passing moment. I needed a week where I wouldn't have to fight so that I could just sleep and get my energy back.

That wasn't going to happen, of course. Every day had involved some kind of rescue mission, and I doubted that today would be any different. I poured my usual bowl of cereal and sat across from Thalia, staring blankly ahead, half asleep. I yawned wide, and as I looked back, I caught Thalia looking at me with worry.

"You sure you don't want to take today off, Percy?" Thalia asked. "You look terrible. You need to sleep, Percy. Stay home today. I can handle it, trust me."

The offer was tempting, and I almost took her up on it, but after last night, at the theatre, I knew that danger was always right around the corner, especially when you least expect it. And like hell was I going to make Thalia face it alone. I was tired, yes, but I was still powerful, and even if she denied it, Thalia needed me. "Not happening," I said. "Thanks for the offer, but I need to keep my grades up. And besides, where would you be without me? More often than not, I'm the one who finds the demigod. I'm like a magnet to the demigods."

"Percy…"

"I'm not arguing about this anymore," I said. "I'm going to school. Now, changing the subject, yesterday, remember that Crusty said he was only supposed to get you and Alex? They're not trying to kill me, at least not yet. So that begs the question, what are they planning to do to me?"

"I don't know, Percy," Thalia said. "But it's dangerous, whatever it is. And it involves the Curse of Achilles."

I nodded. "We need to end this soon, before everything falls apart."

Thalia grunted, then glanced at the clock. "Time to go. I'm driving, at least. No arguing with that."

I sighed. "Alright." Internally, I was actually really glad I wouldn't be driving. I handed Thalia the keys, and we loaded into the car. On the way to school, I fell asleep. And just when I needed some good, restful sleep, I had a dream.

And guess who? That's right, Kronos again. He looked younger still, and was starting to look a little familiar, though I couldn't place my finger on it. His close cropped hair was black, though the sides were gray. His silver goatee had a stipe of black down the middle. As for our location, we were yet again in the Olympian throne room. The hearth was dying down, casting an eerie glow on everything.

Kronos spoke to me. "Hello, Jackson. Good to see you again. I don't actually have long to talk to you this time, because you're going to be at your school soon, and will need to wake up. Don't worry, though, we'll talk again tonight. I thought I'd briefly explain the nature of time and my relationship to it."

"Why?" I asked. Unlike last time, I was able to speak.

"Tonight, you will see," Kronos said. "When we speak tonight, I want to be able to jump right into the conversation, rather than have to explain all this to you." He paused. "Time," he continued, "is not how you think of it. Time is not a linear progression of events. Time is actually…" he paused again. "I think that the Doctor from Doctor Who said it best. It's a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff."

"You seem to know an awful lot of pop culture references," I observed.

"Yes," Kronos sighed. "Feedback from possessing Luke again. But to continue, time is, quite simply, not a line. It twists and turns and occasionally it doubles back on itself." He paused. "As for me and my relationship to time, I can pause and slow time, and I can look back at the past, but the future is often veiled even to me. However, I occasionally get bursts of insight and can, for a brief instant, view the whole of time."

"Why does all this matter?" I asked. "And why are you telling me all this?"

"I have my reasons for everything," Kronos said. "We'll talk again tonight. For now, it's time that you woke up."

My eyes snapped open as we pulled into the school parking lot. I groaned. What could Kronos possibly be up to? How was he still alive? And where was he? Still, though, something stopped me from telling Thalia. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, but something told me that this was something I needed to handle myself. Something strange occurred to me. I hadn't even told Annabeth about this thing with Kronos.

If I told anyone, it was going to be her. But should I tell her? I didn't know if I should. Why was this happening to me? I was becoming all secretive.

We walked into homeroom, and I turned to Thalia. I had to find out what she thought, but I didn't want to give anything away. My wording would have to be very careful."Thalia, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead," she said.

"What do you think happened to Kronos?" I asked.

Thalia looked at me like I was a mental patient, but I needed to know, so I waited. After a pause, Thalia finally said, "I don't presume to know. When Luke was destroyed, any chance Kronos had for regaining a physical form was lost, but he is a Titan. He's immortal, he won't just die. His mind, his consciousness, is still alive, but I don't know what happens to consciounesses that become detached from their bodies. Why do you ask? Do you think that Kronos might be up to something?"

"No," I quickly lied. "I was just curious about your opinion."

Thalia looked at me strangely. "Alright, well, if you have anything else you're curious about, I'd be interested to know."

She suspected something, but I had to know. So Thalia knew next to nothing about Kronos. I sighed. Nobody else would have much of anything either, then, except maybe Annabeth, but she and I had already talked about that, in the days immediately following the invasion of Manhattan.

Helen then came on over the intercom. "Happy Wednesday everyone! We have officially made it more than a week of school! Incredible how fast time goes during school." She went on with normal announcements. I was starting to doze off, when Thalia hit me. I jerked awake to hear, "That's it. Have a fantastic day!"

"Why'd you hit me?" I asked.

"We may have a problem," Thalia said. "Helen used the Greek word for Salamander when she told us what was for lunch today."

"So?" I said. "We're eating slimy amphibians. Not the first time we've had something weird to eat at school."

Thalia shook her head. "Not the Salamanders that live in the water. The fire spirits, Salamanders. They live in fire, they're extremely hot, and some can even breathe fire. I think they're trying to capture multiple demigods at once during one of the lunch periods."

"So what do you want to do?" I asked.

"We have to stake out the cafeteria," Thalia said, "for all three of the lunch periods. That way, when something happens, we're there."

I nodded through a long yawn. "Alright. Where are we going to hide? Teachers won't take kindly to two kids skipping class to go to all three lunch periods."

Thalia looked thoughtful. "Well… who said that the same two kids would go to all three lunch periods?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Do you still have those hoodies in your locker?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but why?"

"Well I can go into my lunch period normally, and you can go into yours normally, but for the other two, we can use those extra hoodies. The lunch monitors don't pay much attention. They won't notice the same kid if that kid is wearing different clothes."

"Interesting," I said. "I like it. Let's do it."

Thalia smiled. "Let's go stuff those hoodies in your backpack."

* * *

Thalia was in the first lunch period, so she walked into the cafeteria in her usual clothes. I walked in two minutes later to avoid suspicion, a gray hoodie on, with the hood pulled down low over my face. I found a table near the back, where I sat down. Thalia sat half way across the room. We didn't want to be seen sitting together. I could see Thalia from where I sat, eating. I looked down at the empty table spot in front of me. We both agreed that if we plugged in our student IDs to get lunch in each period, that would be more suspicious than not eating, so we decided that we wouldn't eat when it wasn't our lunch period.

I was kind of bitter about that, because my stomach was growling angrily at me, not matter how much I told it that it wasn't time for us to eat. I sat silently, looking around the room, bored. Nothing was happening. I yawned widely, and before I knew it I was falling asleep. That was bad, because I awoke to screams as a fire blazed throughout the room.

I jerked awake. Thalia was across the room, trying to corral people out of the room. I looked around, trying to get my barings. And then I saw her. There was a girl trapped underneath a burning table. I leaped over a table and a line of fire running across the floor. I ripped the hoodie off, trying to prevent getting overheated. I reached the table. The fire licked at my skin, but I felt no pain. I hefted with all my might, and gasped, "Get out."

The girl did, scrambling out from underneath the burning table. I let the table slam down hard. My shirt was burning. I patted it out quickly. Thalia was by my side in an instant. "Good of you to join us," she said.

"Sorry," I said, guiltily.

The girl I had saved tried to stand up, but winced and fell to the floor. She was rather small for a high schooler. Her hair was very long, and so blonde that it was almost white. Her clothes were charred, but her shirt was a bright neon green and her skinny jeans were dark.

I was about to pick her up to carry her out, but the the door to the lunch line burst apart in a blast of fire. Through the door emerged three massive orange creates. They walked on all fours, and had orange and black skin. Each was about six feet long, and seemed to be the source of all the fire. I assumed that these were the Salamanders.

This presented a problem. I pulled Riptide out, and charge at the Salamanders. The first breathed fire at me, but I dived to the floor, narrowly avoiding the jet of flame. Then I was up on my feet. I stabbed the first Salamander between the eyes and it disintegrated. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying enough attention to my surroundings. I was blasted off my feet by the second Salamander. Thalia leaped over me, her spear expanding in her hand. She jabbed towards the second Salamander, but apparently the things were nimble too.

I climbed back to my feet, and ran towards the Salamander that Thalia was attacking, but then I heard a scream. I turned. The third Salamander was approaching the girl, who was trying to edge away, but was still stuck on the floor, her leg apparently broken. I had to think fast.

Then I remembered the first time I had wielded Riptide. I capped the sword, turning it back into a pen. Then I threw it at the girl, yelling, "Uncap it then swing!"

The girl caught it deftly, flicked the cap off with her thumb, then swung in an upward arc. A huge cut was sliced in the Salamander's head. It fell apart into a pile of sand.

She looked at me in amazement. "That was so cool. Who are you?"

"No time to talk," Thalia coughed, having deftly finished off the last Salamander. "We have to get out of here or we'll all die of smoke inhalation."

I dashed over to the girl and picked her up, first taking my sword from her and putting it safely in my pocket. Then we ran towards the windows. I burst through, Thalia right behind. We practically ran into the fire fighters.

"Whoa," one said. "We got you. Did you two save this girl?" I nodded. "Good job. You two are heroes. Now get behind the fire-line."

As we stood among the mass of students watching the fire fighters put out the flames, Thalia and I got acquainted with the girl.

"My name is Raye Lynn," she said. "Who are you two?"

I looked at Thalia. Raye was still in my arms, her leg being broken and all. Thalia had out the list of demigods. "Is that your full name?" she asked. "Are you sure your full name isn't Sunraye?"

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't call me that. My name is Raye Lynn. Last time someone called me Sunraye I tried to bite off their finger."

"Well, it's official," Thalia said. "Percy, we have ourselves a daughter of Apollo."

"Great," I said. "Well, Raye, I'm Percy, and that's Thalia. You know how you slashed that monster and dissolved it?"

She nodded.

"Do you want to learn how to do it even better?" Thalia asked.

Raye almost rolled out of my arms. "Yes! That was so cool!"

"Good," I said. "I'm pretty sure the rest of the school day is cancelled. Let's get you to the training place. But first, Thalia, we need to stop by a McDonalds, I'm starving."

* * *

That night when I got home, I pretty much went straight to bed, despite dreading another conversation with Kronos. I was so tired though, that I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I actually managed to sleep peacefully for a while, but it didn't last. Soon I was dreaming. Again Kronos and I were in the Olympian Throne room. His appearance hadn't changed from earlier, but I suppose he hadn't had enough time.

"Hello, Jackson," he said. "Ready for part two of our conversation?"

"Get it over with," I said. "I need as much rest as I can get."

Kronos chuckled. "Headstrong as always I see. That won't help you much. On to business. Remember how I said that I occasionally get flashes of insight and can view the whole of time and the way it moves?"

"Yes," I said shortly.

"I recently had one. And what I discovered was quite interesting. My mother was an extremely powerful goddess, stronger perhaps than all the Titans combined. A force as powerful as her actually causes distortions in the time stream. Normally, she doesn't act on that ability, as it is very difficult, even for her, to control the wibbly wobbly nature of time.

"But she's made an exception. The moment when Luke killed himself to destroy me, the time stream shot off in a totally different direction than it should have. In short, what is happening now, should not be happening at all. This whole business with Helen and the 50 demigods at Goode, and even further than that, the events that will happen shouldn't occur. And, in fact, it won't ever have occurred.

"You see, my mother has manipulated the time stream in such a way that it is going to loop back to the moment that Luke stabbed himself, and everything that happened since then, will never have happened, and will never happen again."

I was very confused, and didn't understand most of what he was saying, but I knew one thing, Kronos was being surprisingly generous with dishing out information. "Why are you telling me all this?"

Kronos smiled. "He wants to know the catch. Spoken like a true business man. Very well, Jackson. I would like to show you a few images fist." The room around us blurred, until the scenery changed completely. We were on a mountaintop, over a high way. We were looking at… well… me. I was standing a few feet away, fending off two snake haired ladies with tusks. The scene dissolved again, and I saw myself walking through what looked like and Ancient Roman barracks. Again the scene changed, and we were standing on a barren field of ice, where I saw myself and two others approach a replica of the barracks from earlier made of ice.

Next I saw a giant flying ship, and I watched myself, a new tattoo on my arm, welcoming the ship. Next I saw Annabeth and I alone at night. We sat talking until we fell asleep. Then I saw myself at the bottom of a well with two others, different from the two from the ice field. The well was filling up with water, and I didn't seem able to breathe it. Lastly, I saw myself, holding desperately to Annabeth's hand as we dangled over a seemingly endless pit. Then, I let go, and Annabeth and I fell.

Kronos and I were back in the throne room. "What I just showed you," Kronos said, "is how the time stream should have continued from when Luke killed himself, and it is the way that the time stream will occur, if you do not take my offer. My offer is this. In that time stream, there is so much pain and suffering in store for you, but you could avoid it, if only you were able to remember what happens in the time stream you're in now. That is impossible though, because none of this will have ever happened, so how do you remember something that never happened. I am the Lord of Time though. I can remember things that never happened."

"What are you saying?"

"In due time," Kronos said. "Know this, though. If you want to save those you love, you will need to remember what happens in this time stream, because if you don't, then you will fail."

**AN: Also, to let you guys know, I'm going to be in London for the entire second semester. I'll give you more information about that next week.**


	11. Chapter 10

**AN: So, my computer is still out of comission. I felt okay about rewriting Chapter 10, though, as I didn't really like the initial version I wrote. Chapters 11 and 12, though, I really like and don't want to have to rewrite. I will hopefully be able to get my computer working this weekend and will be able to give you both of those next weekend. I am updating from a computer in the library tonight. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. As for London, it's pretty awesome. If you want to learn more about my London adventures, I will occasionally be posting videos about my London adventures on YouTube. My chanel name is MStorm011, or alternatively, search for my name, Benjamin Falter.**

**This chapter's featured character was created by Witch Demigoddess. Thank you for your character.**

Chapter 10: Daniela

After my latest dream with Kronos, I found it impossible to sleep. I sat up in my bed and looked at my alarm clock, slightly bleary eyed; it was three in the morning. I lay back down and closed my eyes, trying to sleep, but my thoughts buzzed. All of what Kronos had said was just too confusing. I didn't understand what he meant about his mother, or about time going wrong, and the more confused I got, the more I thought about it, and the more awake I was.

Finally, I climbed out of bed, and stepped out onto the fire escape. The moonlace was in full bloom. Standing on the fire escape had a calming effect on me, and I began to think a little more clearly. Something was wrong with time, that much was clear. Perhaps that was why Kronos was being so generous with his information; he was genuinely concerned about the time stream and he wanted to fix it, but because he lacked a physical body he couldn't do it himself. Kronos never did anything for such a simple reason though. He wanted some kind of leverage over me, and if I accepted his help, then he would use it as an opportunity to do something truly awful. _But what?_ I thought irritably.

Kronos had implied that this business involving the fifty demigods was only the beginning of something bigger, but what worried me the most, was what he said about it never occurring. According to him, the time stream I was in now, shouldn't have been happening, and, in fact, it would be erased and not happen at all. Perhaps he was lying, but whether it was the truth or not, it plunged me into despair. Why bother doing anything at all if, in the end, it would just be erased?

Maybe this had been Kronos's plan: he wanted to make me lose hope and direction. If it was, it had worked. I sighed and leaned on the railing of the fire escape. I needed someone to talk to. I went through my options. Mom would worry too much, and I didn't want to bother her. If I told Paul, it would make it back to my mom, and besides, trying to explain everything to Paul, who was 100% mortal would be… difficult. I couldn't tell Thalia either. If she lost direction and focus because of this business about the time stream being erased, then the rest of the demigods at Goode would be left without us. Rachel was another option. As the Oracle, she might've been able to help me make sense of all this weird stuff involving time streams and Kronos's mother, but I had had enough of prophecies. I didn't want her to spout one out if I could avoid it. Nico was busy with his research, whatever that was, and besides, I'd never really felt able to confide in him. I felt like he should be the one confiding in me; I was supposed to be his mentor, not the other way around.

And then there was Annabeth. I should've told her right from the start about my dreams with Kronos, but I hadn't. I was afraid that if I told her the truth, she would get angry and resentful for hiding something from her for so long. Besides, she was hiding something from me: that thing that she was always trying to tell me, but couldn't bring herself to do it. I started to wonder again about that, but of course thoughts on my dream with Kronos intruded again, and I found myself contemplating telling Annabeth about it. No doubt she could help me make sense of it, but I still found myself hesitating. What if she got upset at me? And what if it just brought up memories of Luke? I didn't want to do that. She'd told Luke as he was dying, that she loved him like a brother, but I wasn't so sure of that. There was definitely a time when Annabeth was in love with Luke, and just thinking about that made me feel a little jealous. I sighed. I didn't know what to do. I was lost and confused. I needed to tell Annabeth, but I couldn't.

"You look upset," a voice from my left said.

I jumped, and spun around. Standing there on the fire escape with me was a girl. She was very pretty, and looked to be about my age, with almond eyes and carmel colored hair that was braided over one shoulder. Her dress was white and sleeveless, with gold trimming around her neckline. I recognized her immediately. "Calypso," I said, "What're you…" I trailed off as I realized that I was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt. My face heated up to about a million degrees. "I- gee, let me go inside and get some pants…"

Calypso laughed and said, "That won't be necessary, Percy. I've seen you more compromised than this." I didn't know what she was talking about, until I realized that on Ogygia I had woken up in new clothes. I'd never thought about it before, but I supposed that meant that she had changed my clothes at some point, which meant… my face felt so hot, it must've been on fire. Calypso laughed again. "I am sorry, Percy. I did not mean to embarrass you."

She didn't sound real sorry as she continued to giggle at the apparently hilarious look on my face. "What're you doing here?" I asked. "Not to be rude, but why aren't you on Ogygia?"

"It's because of you I am not," Calypso said. "When you defeated Kronos, you made a request to the gods that I be pardoned, don't you remember?"

"Oh yeah," I said, the memory returning. "It was part of my package deal from the gods. So… you were freed from your exile?"

She nodded, smiling. "The world has changed so much. I have a lot of catching up to do. I think I'm going to try to bring my beautiful flowers to people who don't have gardens, and try to get everyone to make for themselves a garden."

"That's great," I said with a smile.

"Yes, it is. But I wanted to come and thank you, Percy. Without you, without your selfless request, I would still be on Ogygia. I also came to make you an offer. I am… very much behind the times, and I have a lot to learn about the world. Would you consider joining me, and staying with me?"

A repeat of the offer I had gotten on the island, except this time, if I accepted, I would still be able to visit my friends and family. _Besides_, part of me said, _Kronos said that the time stream I'm in would be erased, so there wouldn't be any real repercussions_. But I couldn't accept the offer. Calypso may have been my biggest "what if," but Annabeth was more important to me than anything. Even if this time stream got erased, as Kronos claimed, I wanted to spend it with Annabeth, not with Calypso. That had a profound impact on me. Even if none of it actually mattered, I still had to live my life to the fullest. Even if this section of my life was erased from the face of time and no one remembered these events, these events would still come, and I wanted to face them head on.

"I can't," I told Calypso. "I'm involved with someone else. I'm sorry."

Calypso smiled sadly. "That's okay, Percy. I expected as much, but I thought that I would offer. Maybe I can still help you before I go. You looked upset when I arrived. What is wrong? How can I help?"

"I think you already have helped," I said. "You made me realize the importance of life, even if it seems meaningless."

"I'm not sure I understand," Calypso said.

"No," I agreed, "I'm not sure any immortal would. But thank you, Calypso. Go out into the world and spread you garden to all four corners of the globe."

She smiled again. "Thank you, Percy. Because of you, I can." There was a flash of light, the smell of flowers, and then Calypso was gone. I yawned, and went back inside. It was 4:30. If I went to bed now, I could get another couple hours of rest before school, and something told me I was going to need it. I lay back down and didn't have any troubles sleeping.

* * *

When my alarm went off at 6:30, I woke up with a new determination. Whether any of this mattered in the grand scheme of things, it mattered now, and that was what was important. I beat Thalia to the shower for once, then went and made myself toast. I was still exhausted; that wasn't going away anytime soon, but today, I felt like I had a new start. Calypso had helped me resolve my troubles, at least for now. I had a sneaking suspicion that they would creep back in soon enough, but for now, I was feeling pretty good. As Thalia walked into the kitchen, she eyed me suspiciously.

"Alright, Percy," she said, "something weird is up with you. You still look exhausted and miserable, but you're acting positively chipper."

I shrugged. "I decided that today was a good day for a new start." I cut myself off with a huge yawn. "Even if I'm drop-dead tired, I want to get to work and save some demigods."

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Whatever you say."

She insisted on driving because of how weird I was acting, and before long, we were pulling into the Goode parking lot. We found a really good parking place (Goode, good) and walked to the front doors. As we passed by the windows of the cafeteria, I noticed that it didn't look like there had been a fire at all. I commented on this to Thalia, who said, "Well of course not. Helen and Echidna probably manipulated the mist, made everyone believe that there wasn't a fire at all."

I thought about that. It seemed pretty reasonable. I was given further evidence of Thalia's prediction during Helen's announcements, when she didn't refer to the fire at all, something which probably would have been mentioned in great detail if the mist weren't covering it up. I wondered if Paul remembered about the fire, or if he had forgotten about it along with the rest of the mortals.

As we were leaving homeroom, Thalia pulled me aside in the hall. "Seriously, Percy, you're starting to worry me. Why are you acting so weird today?"

I sighed. "I just… I had a dream last night that made me think about some things… and it made me come to a realization. That's all I can really say."

Thalia made like she was going to argue, when we heard arguing. We glanced over at the line of lockers across from us and behind Thalia. There was a girl arguing with a school counsellor. The girl had really long black hair in a high ponytail, with her bangs loose. Her eyes were really dark. At first I thought that they were black, but eventually I decided that they couldn't be balck and that they had to be a really dark blue. She wore a black and dark blue v-neck t-shirt, and a necklace with a blue stone on it. Her dark skinny jeans ended when they went into her black combat boots. She looked intimidating, but the counsellor looked even more intimidating. The counsellor couldn't have been human. I could tell because instead of legs, she had twin snake trunks. It was a dracanae. Thalia and I cursed.

The girl was saying, "I'm not unstable! There was a fire yesterday! Why won't you believe me?"

"My dear," the dracanae said, "I think that everyone would remember if there wassss a fire yesterday."

The girl threw her huge pile of books on the ground. "Nobody sees or remembers anything!" she snapped.

"Ssssstep into my offisssse," the dracanae said. "We can disssscusssss this imaginary fire of yours inprivasssssy."

The girl glared at the dracanae, then picked up her books and stormed off. She passed Thalia and I. The dracanae hissed irritably, then went into her office, slamming the door behind her. Thalia and I looked at each other. I could see that both of us were thinking the same thing.

"You go after the girl," I said.

"And you take care of the dracanae," Thalia said.

We nodded in agreement, then Thalia ran off, after the girl. I went across the hall. According to the name plaque by the door that the dracanae had gone in, this was the office of Mrs. Sess, school counsellor. The name sounded familiar. Then I remembered. There had been a Queen Sess in Kronos's forces at the battle of Olympus. She was Queen of the dracanae. How she had survived the battle, I didn't know, but it was time to take care of this queen.

I knocked on the door. A voice barked, "Come in!"

I opened the door. "Hi, Mrs. Sess?"

She was looking down at papers on her desk. "What isssss it? I'm very busy!"

"I'm sorry," I said. "I thought that you'd be able to make time for me. I'm pretty sure you know me." She glanced up, and snarled angrily and looked terrified all at once. Pretty impressive. "So you do recognize me," I said. "Good, I'm glad that the dracanae remember me. School counsellor is quite a step down from queen, your highness. Now are you going to let me dispel your essence to Tartarus the easy way, or the hard way?"

She dove across the desk and slammed me against the wall. I hadn't had time to draw Riptide. She slashed at me with claws, but I ducked underneath. The office was cramped, but there was no way that I was going to let her out into the halls. I drew Riptide. She hesitated briefly, and I shot in a quick question. "How come that girl didn't see your form through the mist? I mean, clearly she remembered the fire, so why couldn't she see how ugly you really are?"

Queen Sess snarled. "The missssst isssss woven more tightly around me and the other monssssster faculty."

Then she slashed at me with her claws. I caught the swipe on the flat of my blade, then swung at her. She was fast, and managed to avoid my blade. She knocked aside a potted plant and drew from behind where it had been a spear. She stabbed at me, but I knocked the spear aside. I tried to stab her, but she was too quick. She got behind me and made a stabbing motion. I swung around just in time, and the stab that would have caught me in my weak point connected with my side. The spear tip shattered against my skin.

I smirked to hide how worried I was about the closeness of that stab. I bashed Sess in the head with the butt of my sword. She stumbled backwards into her desk. I made a wide, arcing, downward slash, but she moved just in time, and Riptide got imbedded in the desk. I tried to pull it free, but Sess knocked me over with the shaft of her spear. As I fell, I grabbed onto Queen Sess's spear shaft and used the leverage of me falling to send her flying across the room.

I stood as quickly as I could. The desk was now between Queen Sess and I. I gripped Riptide's hilt and pulled with all my might. Sess was getting up. I pulled on Riptide harder. Queen Sess was back up and leaping towards me. With a massive tug, I ripped my sword free of the desk. The momentum of my pull swung Riptide over my head in a massive arc that caught Queen Sess, who was in the air, right between the twin trunks and cut her in half. She exploded into monster dust, which fell all over me. I spat dust out of my mouth.

"Come on," I said indignantly. "Now I have to shower again."

I dusted myself off as best I could, then left the office. I hurried to my class. As I entered, I apologized for being really really late, then took a seat at the back of the class.

* * *

My fight with Queen Sess had left me drained. My determination wasn't gone, but once again my exhaustion was over-powering. I met Thalia on my way to gym. She had the girl from earlier with her. The first thing I did was yawn.

"Back to normal, I see," Thalia said. "This is Daniela de la Nuit. She's the daughter of Nyx."

I yawned again and waved at Daniela. I made the mistake of looking into her eyes. Instantly I was filled with fear, and I saw images of myself doing terrible things to my friends. I blinked hard and forced myself not to focus on Daniela's eyes. "I'm Percy," I said. "Nice to meet you."

"You guys can remember the fire?" she asked sceptically.

"Yes," I said. "In fact, we were in the cafeteria when it caught fire. We got a girl who had been trapped inside out."

"Well," Daniela said, "good job. Thalia was saying that I can't stay here, and that it's too dangerous."

"Yes," I said. "I know trusting strangers isn't really a good thing, but you can trust us."

"Where do you want to take me?" she asked.

"To a place called Camp Half-Blood," Thalia said. "It's a safe place for people like us. You can get triaing there to fight monsters."

"Monsters?" she asked. "There's no such thing as monsters."

There was a hiss behind us. It was a horde of dracanae, probably upset that I'd killed their Queen. "What do you call those?" I said with a yawn. I drew Riptide, and Thalia pulled out her spear.

The snake women attacked, but they were no match for Thalia and I. We cut them down as they advanced, acting perfectly as a team. Daniela, meanwhile, stood in awe, fear, and shock all at once. At one point a dracanae made it past Thalia and I. I yelled, "Heads up!" to Daniela, and threw her my sword. She caught it and swung, just as the snake woman was bearing down on her. She burst apart like a piñata. I, meanwhile, strangled one of the snake women with my bare hand. Soon, the hall was full of piles of sand.

"The janitors are going to be pretty mad at us," I observed.

Thalia snorted, then we walked over to Daniela. "Believe us about the monsters now?" Thalia asked.

Daniela nodded numbly.

"Alright," I said. "Let's get you to camp."

"Wait," she said. "I can't just go to camp. What about my dad? He deserves to know what's going on. And… and I need to get my things."

Thalia and I looked at each other nervously. Mortal parents were always tricky. They didn't always know or understand the truth, and sometimes explaining to a parent would cause them to have a mental breakdown. Nevertheless, if Daniela wanted to tell her father, she deserved to be allowed to tell him.

"Alright," I said. "We'll go see your dad. Where do you live?"

* * *

That night when we finally got home, the energy that had gotten me through the day, given to me by my conversation with Calypso, had dissipated. Once again, I was plagued by thoughts of Kronos, and what he could possibly be up to. Luckily, though, I wasn't questioning whether everything was worth it if, in the end, it would just get erased. I knew that I had to keep moving forward. And the only way to do that was to sleep. I went straight to my bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

"Tired?" a voice asked. I leaped up and drew Riptide. Nico stood in the shadowy corner of my room, his hands raised in a placating gesture. I cursed and put Riptide away. This was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that someone had just appeared and scared me.

Nico looked better than he had when I'd seen him a couple days ago. He didn't have any bruises or cuts. He seemed to have gotten a haircut; though his hair was still long, it was definitely less shaggy. He also seemed to be wearing new clothes. He had on black jeans and a grey t-shirt underneath a black jacket. "What is it, Nico?" I asked, barely suppressing a yawn.

"I thought I would stop in," he said. "I wanted to tell you that I've finished my research for the time being. I can't get any farther without a research team, and everyone I'm interested in having join my research team is otherwise occupied."

"You came here just to tell me that?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "Percy, I want revenge on Helen for killing James and releasing Hyperion. I know holding grudges is my fatal flaw, and I know that she is your problem, but I want to help you defeat her." He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and tossed it at me. I caught it. It was a black stone. It was smooth, like it had been weathered for a very long time.

"Thanks?" I said. "But how is this stone supposed to help me defeat Helen?"

"That's a Stygian Stone," Nico said. "It is pulled from the riverbed of the Styx. They are almost impossible to obtain, and as such, you won't find it mentioned in any of the old myths."

"How did you get it?" I asked.

He paused, as if considering how much to share. "Someone owed me a favour," he said. "This is how they repaid it: by retrieving two stones from the Styx."

"How did they do it without being destroyed?" I asked.

Nico hesitated again. "In life, he bore the curse of Achilles, like you." Was he talking about Luke? What favour did Luke owe Nico? "Anyway, as I said, I had him retrieve two stones." He held up one identical to mine. "Stygian Stones can be linked. These two are. You can use them to call on each other in a time of need. I want you to have that. If you need help with your fight against Helen, grip the stone in your hand and think about me. Mine will heat up, and I'll know you need me. Not only that, but it can guide me to you. I would be able to shadow travel right to where you called me from."

"So this stone is basically the Nico di Angelo hotline?" I said.

"Yes, basically," he said. "Remember that stone if you get into trouble. And also, summon me when you are preparing for your final confict against Helen. I want to be there. I want revenge."

The talk of revenge unsettled me, but I nodded. "Okay, Nico. If we need you, Thalia and I will use the stone to contact you."

Nico nodded. "Thank you, Percy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have someone to check on. Sleep well."

Nico stepped directly into the shadows and disappeared. I flopped down on the bed and closed my eyes. I was tired, and I needed sleep. Within seconds, I was asleep.


	12. Interlude - Andromeda

Interlude – Andromeda

Andromeda tucked in one of the folds in the toga she was putting on. Her impersonation of Jason was going perfectly. No one questioned her orders, and no one questioned whether she was Jason or not. Further more, she had managed to whip the whole Legion into a frenzy.

Jackson's defiling of the SPQR tattoo was exactly what she had needed. She had healed the cut, but left enough to leave a red scar across the SPQR. She had shown it immediately to the legion, saying that the rumours of demigods that followed the Greek way were true.

One of the First Cohort's Centurions, Octavian, had leaped upon the opportunity. He called for the Legion to mobilize for war against the Greek defilers. Andromeda had shown open support for this plan, and Octavian was praising "the praetor's new, extremely wise policies." Everything was going well.

Andromeda tucked in another fold of the toga. Today was the third Senate meeting discussing whether or not to go to war. Many were in favour of it, but deliberations still had to be made, and battle plans to be drawn up. Andromeda didn't mind. It would delay Krios's plan by only a few weeks.

The only one who seemed to be suspicious was Reyna. Evidently, she knew something was wrong with "Jason," though Andromeda didn't think that Reyna knew the truth. Nevertheless, Reyna was proving difficult to work with. Andromeda needed to get her out of the way, or she could end up ruining everything. She needed Octavian in Reyna's position. The fool was so hungry for war that he would be perfect for Andromeda's needs.

Andromeda finished putting on her toga, and walked off to breakfast. There was a chilled silence at the praetor's table between herself and Reyna. Finally, Octavian approached the table. "Sir," he said to Andromeda, "we should move to the Senate meeting."

Andromeda nodded. She stood and made the announcement. As the Senators moved out, Reyna pulled Andromeda aside. "Jason, listen to me," she said, "I don't know what's wrong with you, but this isn't a good idea. Please, don't continue to push for this war."

"Reyna," Andromeda said in Jason's voice, "we've been through a lot together. I need you to stand by me. This insult to Rome cannot be allowed to go unpunished."

Reyna shook her head. "This war is not the answer."

"We have a Senate meeting to attend," Andromeda said icily in Jason's voice. "Let's go."


	13. Chapter 11

**AN: Hey, everyone. So I reworte this chapter. Parts of it I like better than the version that's on my paper-weight of a computer, but parts of it I don't like as much. Anyway, I think it turned out well, so here you go. A couple of quick things. First, this chapter has alcohol and one blatant sex reference. Just a warning. I didn't want to change the rating of the whole story because of this one chapter, so I'm warning you now. If you don't feel comfortable reading this chapter because of that, leave a review saying so, and I'll PM you an overview of the chapter. Secondly, this chapter is narrated by Thalia, so yay about that. Thirdly, the character featured in this chapter is a creation of my own and does not feature in the original version of the story. Lastly, I have on last not for you at the end. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 11: The Party

Hi, it's Thalia. I thought that before I started talking about the events you're about to hear, I should explain why I'm telling this particular story rather than Percy. You see, for most of the events that you're going to hear about from me, he was rather… incapacitated. You'll see why when I get there. I suppose I should start in the morning.

* * *

Friday. Finally, it was the last day of the week. Every day so far had been one exhausting event after another. Yesterday had especially gotten to me, though. Daniela had hugged her Dad and wept saying goodbye to him, both of them realizing that this would be the last time they saw each other in a long time. It brought tears to my own eyes. Watching her, I wondered how many of the Half-Bloods that we'd taken from Goode had left behind parents who were worried about them and how many of them probably had parents that didn't care that they'd disappeared. Like my mom. It had been a tough scene, and a tough day. Added to that, Percy was acting strange. He had had a strange fervour; a strange manic energy that I was sure wasn't healthy. I knew he was trying to hide how exhausted he was, but it wasn't working.

Percy was dead on his feet. I think he knew it, too, but he still insisted on being a Seaweed Brain and stubbornly pushing on. He seriously needed a break. His skin was pale, almost grey, and he had deep purple bags under his eyes. There was no way that he could keep going at this pace. I wasn't the only one who was worried about him, as I discovered that morning when I went into the kitchen for breakfast. Percy's mom was sitting at the breakfast table, which was weird, because she usually wasn't awake this early in the morning. Yet, there she was, sitting at the breakfast table, sipping from a cup of coffee.

She smiled at me when I came in. "Good morning, Thalia."

"Good morning, Sally," I said. When I had first arrived, I wasn't sure whether to call her Sally, or Mrs. Jackson, or Mrs. Blofis (I didn't know whether she had changed her last name), but she had told me within a couple hours to just call her Sally. "What are you doing up so early?" I asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about Percy," she said as I popped two pieces of bread into the toaster. I turned back towards her. She looked upset, and I knew why. She was worried sick about Percy. He was pushing himself too hard, and we both knew it. I went to the table and sat across from her. "He's pushing himself too hard," she said. "I'm watching my boy die from exhaustion."

"I know," I said. "But you and I both know that he won't take a break. He's going to push stubbornly on ahead and there's nothing I can do to stop him."

She nodded. "Percy is like that. But he has limits, even if he doesn't, or refuses to, recognize them. I'm afraid that he's going to meet his match soon, and I don't know how he'll handle it in his sleep deprived state."

I sighed. "I'll take care of him. I promise. He's like a brother to me. I'm not going to lose ano- I'm not going to let anything happen to my brother." Just then, my toast popped up, and I used it as an opportunity to busy myself with my toast while I took deep breathes and tried to calm down. I had gotten close – too close – to talking about Jason. But he was gone, and there was nothing I could do about that.

"I know," Sally said. "Just, be careful. You have limits, too, Thalia."

I sat down and started munching my toast. "Right now, they're not being pushed like Percy's are."

"My what?" came a voice. Percy entered into the kitchen. He was pale, and his hair was even more dishevelled than usual. His sea-green eyes no longer had the shine that they usually did. "Morning, Mom." He set about pouring himself cereal. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked through a yawn.

"Nothing, honey," she said. "I never went to bed. I was too busy working on my book all night."

"Pretty soon you'll be as exhausted as me," he said. Sally shot me another worried glance, but put on a brave face when Percy sat down next to me. Gods I wished that I had had a mom like her. She actually cared about her son with her whole being and loved him more than anything else. Who did I have like that? Artemis was awesome, but she wasn't exactly a mom, and she didn't love us like a mom did.

* * *

Eventually, Percy and I made it out to his car. I insisted on driving, and Percy didn't argue. He just nodded through a yawn and threw me the keys, taking the passenger seat. As we drove to school, Percy fell asleep, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Sally was right. The day was fast approaching that Percy would meet his match. Not because our enemies were getting better, but because he was simply getting weaker. It was only a matter of time before he just passed out on the battlefield, or worse, he could start hallucinating from lack of sleep. Neither option boded particularly well with me.

We pulled into the Goode parking lot, and Percy jolted awake. I suspected that he'd been having lots of bad dreams recently, but I knew from experience that you didn't simply ask about bad dreams. If he wanted to tell me, he would, but sometimes, it was best just to let those dreams stay dreams.

"We're here," I said.

Percy yawned. "Yeah, we are. Listen, Thalia, before we go in, I want to give you something."

Confused, I asked, "What do you mean?"

He pulled a smooth black stone out of his pocket. "This is a Stygian Stone. Nico visited me last night. He wants to help us in our fight against Helen. With this stone, all you have to do is think about him and he'll be able to Shadow Travel right to your location."

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked, taking the stone.

"Two reasons," he said. "The first is that I'll lose it. The second is that I don't need his help. I'm invulnerable, and you aren't. If anyone is going to need him, it's not going to be me."

"Percy, what makes you think that I need Nico's help?" I snapped. "You're dead on your feet. You need him more, or you might actually die."

Percy shook his head. "I don't need him. And I'm not saying that you need him, but I am saying that you aren't invulnerable. You're more likely to be in a life or death situation than I am. Please, thalia, I would feel better if you held onto it."

I sighed and slipped the stone into my pocket. "Fine, I'll take the stone _for now_."

* * *

We walked inside in silence and took our seats in homeroom. It was then that the bane of my existence at Goode decided to show up. His name was Ethan. He was in a lot of my classes. He was this short, scrawny kid that was popular, but only because his family was filthy rich. He always dressed in designer clothes, and always had his choice of the girls at the school, most of which were taller than him. He had tried to make a move on me once, which had result in me slamming him against a locker. Apparently, he didn't get the message, because he continued to chase after me. Annoying? Yeah, you could say that.

"Hey, Thalia," he said, leaning on my desk. "And Percy," he added. "I'm having a party tonight. My parents are going to be out of town, and my brother, who goes to college at Harvard, managed to get a ton of booze. So what do you guys think? Pretty much the whole school is going to be there."

I was about to respond that we weren't interested, when the other bane of my existence at Goode showed up. Her name was Jessica Haines. She was this tall platinum blonde, who was as dumb as a doornail. Yet, because of her looks, she managed to attract the attention of every guy at school. Well, almost every. Obviously not Percy. And Ethan had developed this annoying habit of having eyes for only me. She also always wore shirts that were entirely too low cut. Unfortunately, Jessica was a demigod, daughter of Aphrodite to be specific.

"Party still on tonight?" Jessica asked, batting her eyes at Ethan.

"Yeah," he said. "In fact, I was just inviting Percy and Thalia."

Jessica turned to Percy and leaned over his desk. Percy, for his part, held eye contact perfectly and kept a calm expression on his face. She didn't faze him at all, which she seemed a bit disappointed about, but, nonetheless, said, "Well, I suppose I'll see you there." She winked at him and then left.

"Thanks for the offer," Percy started, "but-"

"But we don't even know where you live," I cut him off. If Jessica was going, then we had to go too. As much as I disliked her, it was our job to save her, and something as chaotic as a high school party where everyone was drunk would put her in danger, either from regular mortals or from monsters.

Percy shot me a confused look, and I shot him an _I'll explain later_ look back. He seemed to understand. Ethan handed me an official invitation. "The address is one here. It really is a nice place. The building overlooks Central Park, and we own the top three floors. The party starts at ten. I'll see you guys then." He walked off.

"Why are we going to a party?" Percy asked. "Not only is this something we shouldn't be doing, but I think I remember you saying that you hate that guy."

"That Jessica girl," I said. "She's a demigod. I don't like it, but if she's going to the party, it might be just the chaos that Helen and Echidna need to kidnap or harm her. We don't have much of a choice."

He sighed. "Alright. But if we're going to a party, then we need to get you some new clothes."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" I asked, incredulously.

"Nothing," Percy said, "if you like 90s Punk. But if we're really going to this party, we need to blend in, and the 90s Punk thing isn't really popular with many people anymore."

"And you know what's fashionable better than me?" I quipped. "You dress in a t-shirt and jeans every day."

"I choose not to be fashionable," he said. "That's not the same as not knowing what fashionable is."

"Fine," I sighed. "But if that's the case, then you have to go to the nurse's office, say you don't feel well, and take a nap for the rest of the day."

"But Thalia…"

"No," I said, "I'm letting you decide what's fashionable, so you have to listen to me and sleep. If there are any problems today, I can contact Nico, but you need your sleep. Especially if we're going to this party tonight."

Percy grumbled but eventually agreed. As Helen's voice came on and started the announcements, I wondered what exactly we had gotten ourselves into.

* * *

I stood in the bathroom at home, looking at my reflection. After much argument, Percy and I had finally bought clothes for me to wear to the party. I wore a new leather jacket, which was nice, but it didn't have spikes like my usual one. Underneath I wore a dark blue buttoned _blouse_ (just the word makes me nauseous) over a black cami (which I had never worn before in my life). I wore new black jeans with those ridiculous "stylish rips." Rather than spiking my hair, Percy had told me to let my hair be loose. I wasn't happy about that, but I grumpily let my black hair fall around my face. He'd also made me put dark blue highlights in my hair to match the shirt. That particular part of the trip was spent in a salon, which further irritated me. I wore Aegis in bracelet form on one wrist, and a silver necklace from Percy's mom (again, Percy had insisted). In fact, the only part of my appearance that Percy hadn't designed for blending in was the leather jacket. He hadn't wanted to get it, but I had threatened to blast him with Lightning, so he eventually caved and we'd bought it. I was unhappy with my looks, and I had plans to get Percy back for this, but I went along with it, because I knew that, for once, he was right. We needed to blend, and despite how annoyed at him I was, and how inexperienced he was with High School parties, he was the best to figure out how to make us blend.

I stepped out and went into the living room. The nap I had forced Percy to take earlier had paid off. He was still pale, but the bags under his eyes weren't as dark, and his had the old gleam back in them. He wore dark blue jeans that were "stylishly ripped" and a black button down shirt with silver stripes. The top two buttons were undone, as was the bottom button, revealing a plain white shirt underneath. It made him look like he was slightly dressed up, but also that he was casual, which seemed appropriate. His hair was ever so slightly spiked, which annoyed me. How come he got to have spiked hair, but I didn't? Stupid High School gender views. I was going to find whatever man had invented them and whoop his ass, right after I'd beaten Ethan to a senseless pulp for having this stupid party in the first place.

"Well," Percy said, looking at me, "not completely hopeless."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Seaweed Brain, we're going to be late."

He scoffed. "Thalia, the first thing you learn in every movie that has a party, is that you always show up fashionably late. Like, at least fifteen minutes late."

"Why? That doesn't make any sense?"

He shrugged. "Hades if I know. I'm just working from what I've learned from movies and the internet."

"And you take them for completely true?"

"At least in this respect they are," Paul said, entering the living room. "I went to a lot of parties in my college years, and I can tell you that the party never starts at the actual start time."

Percy looked amused. "You went to parties in college?"

Paul grunted. "I didn't say it was smart."

Sally entered the room. "You two be careful tonight, okay."

I nodded. "We will."

"And, Mom," Percy said, "just so you know, we're probably going to spend the night at Camp Half-Blood. It'll probably be pretty late when we make it to Camp, and there's no sense in trying to drive back here that late at night."

She nodded. "I expected as much. Just be careful tonight, you two. I think that tonight, perhaps the drunken students are going to be more of a danger than monsters."

"And find a way to call if you need anything," Paul added.

We both nodded and walked towards the door. "I love both of you," Sally called after us. As the door closed behind us, I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. Sally Jackson had said she loved me. I had a mother.

"Come on," Percy said. "Let's go get some pizza before the party."

* * *

After a stop to get a slice, we drove to the address on the invitation. We were a solid 45 minutes late. We entered the fancy building and hit the button on the elevator. We shot up to the top and knocked on the door of the penthouse suite. Ethan opened the door, a drink in his hand. "Hey guys," he said. "Come on in." We entered into the first floor of the penthouse suite. It was an open floor plan. The door opened into the middle of the back wall. The far wall and the one to our right were made completely of glass. I made a mental note not to go anywhere near the windows, lest I get frozen by my fear of heights. To the left was the kitchen area, where several kids were grabbing beers and taking shots. The furniture seemed to have been moved from the room to make room for a dance floor. Music blared from surround sound speakers connected to a TV that displayed an image of some album cover, with the words "Sirius XM Hits 1" across it. Pop music played, and kids danced around, holding their drinks. In one corner of the room was a ping pong table with a bunch of cups on it surrounded by a group of guys. By the kitchen was a grand stairwell that ascended behind the wall and led to the upstairs, where, upon looking up, I could see two more floors with open centers so that people could look down at the first floor from the upper levels of the penthouse. It served the convenient purpose of allowing the loud music to spread to the other floors too, where kids danced in the halls.

"Impressive, yeah?" Ethan said, noticing Percy and me looking around. "Can I get either of you guys something?"

"No," I said.

"Can I have a coke?" Percy asked.

"Sure," Ethan said. He walked off.

"Okay, Percy, here's the game plan," I said.

"I like game plans," he said.

"You stay down here. Mingle, dance, whatever, and try to find Jessica. I'll go upstairs and search the second floor for her. Whether I find her or not, I'll come back in and check in with you before I go up to the third floor. If we do find her, just keep an eye on her until the end of the party. If we don't have to extract her tonight, that'd be great. Sound good?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. At that moment, Ethan came back, and handed Percy a clear plastic cup with Coke in it. Ethan looked about to start up a conversation with me, when someone called his name, and he, thankfully, ran off.

Percy took a sip of his Coke. "Tastes kind of weird," he said. He took another sip. "Still tastes like Coke, but there's something weird with it."

"Maybe you shouldn't drink it then?" I suggested.

"Nah, it's fine," he said. "Plus, I'm really thirsty."

I shrugged, deciding not to press it further, partly because I wasn't worried. After all, it was just Coke. The other part was I wanted to get out of there before Ethan came back over.

I walked over to the stairs and worked my way up to the second level. I stepped down, trying not to look at the first floor. It wasn't far, but it still made me queasy. There were kids mingling around, leaning on the railing, but there were noises coming from behind several doors, and there were side halls too, meaning that I had a lot of area to check for Jessica. I glanced around at the people in the main hall area, and didn't see Jessica among them, so I turned to the first door.

I opened the door. Several kids were lounging on sofas watching a movie, though several of them weren't really paying attention to the movie and instead were busy sucking face. I glanced around. I didn't see Jessica in the room, so I exited the room and went to the next door. I opened it up and found a bunch of guys sitting in front of a TV with PlayStation controllers. Shooting sounds were coming from the TV, and several of the guys cheered while others groaned. Two TVs in rooms right next to each other? Seemed a little excessive. Still, I felt a twinge of jealousy. If we were back at home, I would be playing Call of Duty right now, but instead I was here at this stupid party.

I remembered when I'd first seen the PlayStation and Wii in Percy's living room. I had asked him how he managed to play them without attracting monsters every time he did. Percy had explained his theory, which was surprisingly excellent for his Seaweed Brain. He said that because New York was such a big city, and because there were so many demigods, using the computer or playing video games didn't tend to attract monsters because the sense was diffused across the city and lost. Cell phones were traced more easily because they were far more direct.

I snapped out of my memory. There were no girls in the video game room, so I shut the door and moved on to the next one. I opened the door. It was dark in the room, but I heard noise, so I flipped on the light to see if Jessica was in the room. What I saw wasn't Jessica. It was a brown hair girl sitting atop a guy's waist area. And neither of them were wearing clothes. I clapped my hands over my eyes and slammed the door. I suddenly felt very very sick. I asked someone where the bathroom was. They told me and I ran off. I burst into the bathroom, which was thankfully empty, and puked out everything I had eaten today. I sat retching over the toilet for a good five minutes. Then I stood, flushed the toilet, and went over to the sink. I washed my hands, then I grabbed the Listerine sitting beside it to wash out the vomit taste. I would never be able to forget that image, that terrible, scaring image. As an immortal maiden, those types of images are the ones that you aren't supposed to see. I took a few deep breathes, resolved to be more careful and opened the bathroom door.

Unfortunately, I was blocked by Ethan. "There you are!" he said, his breathe smelling heavily of alcohol. He stuck out his arm, leaning against the bathroom wall and making me back against it. I was between him and the wall. A rock and a hard place. "Look, I think that it's a pity that a pretty girl like you should be alone at a party. Your cousin is too busy downstairs to pay you any mind, so I thought that we could have some quality time together."

I would have probably vomited again if I'd had anything left in my stomach. "Thanks, but I really don't need-"

He cut me off by forcibly pressing his lips against mine. My vision went red. I pushed him away, grabbed his arm, twisted behind his back, then pushed his head into the toilet, which I then proceeded to flush. After giving him a swirly, I pulled him out of the toilet, slammed him against the wall and punched him in the nose. He fell to the ground, dazed and confused. I sighed. It felt good to let out that pent up aggression.

"If you ever try to make a move on me again," I threatened, "that broken nose I just gave you will be the least of your worries. Got it!" He nodded wordlessly. "Good!" I snapped. Then, for good measure, I kicked him in the groin, and left the bathroom. I spent the next half an hour checking the rest of the rooms on the floor. This time I was much more careful, but luckily I didn't find any other rooms with drunken teens having sex. After I finished checking the second floor, I went back downstairs to check on Percy.

I found him laughing hysterically with a few guys. When I came over, he turned to me and said, "Hey, Thalia. These guys are hilarious!"

"Good for them?" I asked, confused. Percy was acting really weird. He was taking sips from a cup of Coke. "Any luck finding Jessica?"

He shook his head vigorously. "Nope nope nope. You know what? Nope is a fun word to say."

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Of course," he said. "I'm better than alright. I'm great."

I glanced at him, slightly worried, but I didn't let it distract me. "Well, if you're alright, I'm going to go up to the third floor and keep looking for Jessica."

He nodded. "Okay Thals, see you later."

Thals? He never called me that. Something was seriously wrong here. Something was nagging me in the back of my mind, but I went off to search the third floor.

After making it up to the third floor, I found that it was just as extensive as the second. Luckily, the first room I entered was the right one. It was a large room, with a huge projector screen TV, where several kids sat in bean bag chairs and watch a movie. The entire back wall of the room was windows. I walked inside and examined the kids on the bean bag chairs. Sure enough, one of them was Jessica. She was making out with some guy I'd not seen before. Mission accomplished. Now all I had to do was keep an eye on her.

"It won't be that easy," a voice said from behind me. I turned, confused. Standing there, was Helen.

"What are you doing here, Helen?" I snapped.

"Making things complicated," she said. "I know you plan on keeping an eye on Jessica, and extracting her if you have to. Well I'm here to make that harder."

"How?" I asked. "I'm here, and you can hardly just take Jessica without going through me."

Helen smiled. "Yes, well, first, maybe you should check on your dear friend Percy."

I felt icy. "What do you mean?"

"Easy," she said. "He's drunk."

"What? How?"

"He just wanted Coke, but Ethan, of course, thought that he meant a Rum and Coke, so your friend is now thoroughly intoxicated. He didn't realize it of course, he just thought that he was drinking slightly weird Coke, but the damage has been done. So what will it be, Thalia? Stop your friend from doing something inevitably stupid and hurting himself in his drunken state, or saving the Aphrodite girl that you can't stand?"

With that, Helen teleported behind me and into the room, where she stood behind Jessica's bean bag. I cursed, and ducked around the door frame. What to do? Then I remembered that weight in my pocket. I reached in and pulled out the Stygian Stone. I held it and thought _Zombie Boy! Get over here!_

The stone heated up. Out of the shadows, stepped Nico di Angelo. His long, shaggy black hair was more dishevelled than usual, like he's been asleep. That thought was confirmed by the fact that he just wore a black t-shirt and Pac-Man Pyjama bottoms. He held his Stygian Iron sword in one hand. "Don't call me that," he managed through a yawn. "What's going on? Why do you have the Stone instead of Percy?"

"Long story," I said. "Listen, I need you to go downstairs and keep an eye on Percy. Right now, he's kind of a danger to himself."

"Sure," Nico nodded. "Explain everything to me after… whatever we're doing is done."

He dashed off down the stairs. Just at that moment, there was a scream from the room that Jessica had been in. I dashed inside, pulling out my mace canister and turning it into my spear. Helen was holding Jessica around the forearm and was dragging her back. Of course, nobody saw it as Helen, no. What did they see? Well from the fact that one of them said, "The Joker is real!" I think they maybe thought Helen was the Joker.

She blasted a hole in the window with a purple bolt of energy. I dashed over. "Hey!"

My stomach dropped as wind blew in from the blasted window. I could see out it from where I was, and I didn't like what I saw. We were so high up.

"Ah, so you chose saving the girl?" Helen said. "How noble of you."

"Let her go!" I snapped.

Helen grinned wickedly, and I sensed what was coming before she even spoke. The other kids were still blathering on about the Joker, and I knew what was coming. I was already moving, therefore, when Helen said, "Very poor choice of words," and pushed Jessica out of the blasted open window.

Helen had already teleported away by the time I was out the window. I grabbed Jessica as I fell. Before my mind could register the terror that I felt, I heard a crash and a shape collided with us. All of this happened in less than a second. A voice said, "Pray to every god you know that this works."

We were feet from the ground. I was so afraid I thought I might puke again if I survived this, which I knew I wouldn't. Why was I so stupid? I clamped my eyes shut when we were feet from the ground, but instead of feeling pavement, I just felt cold all of a sudden, and a feeling like the wind was ripping off my face. Strange voices echoed in the background. Then, suddenly, it was over, and I was collapsed on a wooden floor. My eyes were still clamped shut, but I processed several noises. Pop music was blaring, and people were screaming.

I opened my eyes and looked around. We were on the floor of the Ethan's family's pent house. Jessica lay next to me, out cold. In front of me, Nico di Angelo was struggling to his feet. I realized that he must have either seen or sensed me starting to fall (maybe because of the Stygian Stone?) and busted open a window, leaped after me, and had shadow travelled us through the shadows on the pavement, saving our lives. I looked past Nico. People were screaming because the room was being ripped apart by a battle. When I say battle, I mean massacre. Helen was moving around fast, slashing her sword at Percy and sending blasts of magic at him. Percy, in his drunken state, had addled reflexes and couldn't defend himself or land a hit on Helen.

Nico was up now, and he drew his Stygian Iron sword, charging in to engage Helen. Helen apparently saw this coming, and made a copy of herself to meet Nico. The Helen-replica drew her sword, and the two of them clashed in a high paced sword fight. I stood up, then realized that I'd dropped my spear upstairs. I cursed. I held out my hand and concentrated. My bow materialized, and my quiver was suddenly slung over my back.

I was glad that trick still worked. I wasn't sure it would, because I was on leave from the Hunters. I drew an arrow, and aimed at Helen, whose blade was about to connect with Percy's back, who was reacting with pure terror, but moving too slowly to stop her. I knew that she must be close to his weak point. Without hesitation, I shot my arrow and pegged Helen in the shoulder of her sword arm. The pain jerked her arm upwards. Her sword sparked off of Percy's shoulder and distracted her long enough for Percy to finally connect a blow. He cut a gash in her thigh. Helen screamed in pain and blasted Percy backwards with a wall of force. Her copy disappeared, and Nico's next swing connected with nothing but air. Helen grimaced, then teleported away. I sighed in relief. I dashed over to where Percy had landed. He was out cold.

I glanced around. The room was wrecked, and no one was in sight. In the distance, I heard sirens. I knew we had to get out of there before the police arrived. We definitely didn't want to be the only ones there when they arrived asking questions about the trashed pent house and the appearance of the Joker. "Nico," I called.

"Yeah," he said.

"Grab Jessica," I said. "She's that unconscious blonde girl, then come over here and shadow travel all four of us out to Percy's car. We've gotta go."

He did as I asked, and we managed to get out of there in the nick of time, pulling into New York City traffic that was, as always, bustling about, even though, when I looked at the clock, it read 1 A.M. Percy and Jessica were both in the back, still out cold. Nico sat next to me in the passenger seat.

"Thanks," I said, finally. "Without you, I'd probably be dead."

"It's the least I could do," he said. "I am your friend, after all."

Friend might have been pushing it a little. I hardly knew the kid, but still, I supposed that Percy and I were probably the closest thing he had to actual friends. So I supposed that it was okay for him to call me his friend. "Well, anyway," I said, "thanks."

"Sure," he said. "Wanna explain to me what all that was about?"

I nodded. "That was a party that Percy and I were invited to. We only went because there was a demigod there. We wanted to make sure that everything went okay and that she survived the night, and, if necessary, was seen safely to Camp Half-Blood."

"I see," Nico said. "Well, she survived the night at least. What was the deal with Percy? The half second that I was downstairs before leaping out the window after you, I noticed that he was acting really weird. And then when he was fighting Helen, his reflexes were slow."

"When we arrived, he asked for a Coke. He said it tasted weird, but neither of us paid it any mind. Well he had several of them. Helen told me that he wasn't just drinking Coke. She said that Ethan had thought he'd asked for Ruma and Coke, so Percy had a lot of Rum and Cokes. I don't know exactly how many, but enough to get sufficiently drunk. Poor guy. He wouldn't have gotten drunk if he'd known what was in the Coke, or if I'd been more insistent about him not drinking the Coke if it tasted weird."

"Don't blame yourself," Nico said.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Then I turned on the radio, changing it to the Punk Rock station. Nico started humming along with some of the songs, and I decided that he was definitely on the right track for friendship.

**AN: So my last little note for the end of the chapter, no I am not setting things up for shipping Thalia and Nico! That's not going to be a thing in this story. Thalia is a Hunter. She's not interested in any kind of romantic relationship. the whole "eternal maiden" thing kind of discourages that. So, sorry Thalico fans.**


	14. Chapter 12

**AN: Hi guys, sorry this took so long to rewrite, but here is Chapter 12, finally. The submitter of the character used in this chapter was an anonymous reviewer who went by piiiiiiiieeeeee.**

**Also, I have started up a collection of one-shots called "The Left Behind." It is set during different points in the Heroes of Olympus series and focuses on characters other than the seven of prophecy. Check it out. **

**This chapter is narrated by Thalia just like the last one. I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 12: Erow

We finally arrived at Half-Blood Hill at around three in the morning. Nico yawned, then turned to me and asked, "Should we wake them up here, or take them to the Big House?"

"We'll have to wake Jessica," I said, "but I'd just as soon leave Percy for Chiron. I don't know exactly what happened, but if he got hit close enough to his weak point when he was blasted backwards, then we're going to want to leave him for Chiron."

Nico nodded, then glanced into the back of the car. "Uh, I'll just go wake Chiron then, shall I?"

I gave him a questioning glance. "Why are you in such a rush to get out of here?"

Nico glanced around nervously. "I, uh… That girl makes me nervous. I don't want to be one of the ones that has to explain to her about Half-Bloods and stuff."

"She's just a daughter of Aphrodite," I said.

"That's why she makes me nervous." And with that Nico got out of the car, and started towards the Big House. His behaviour confused me. He hadn't acted scared or nervous earlier, but now with the prospect of waking up Jessica, he was bolting for the hills. Literally.

I sighed and sat still for a moment. It had been a long night, and I was tired. Really, really tired. I turned and glanced in the back. Percy was not sleeping peacefully. He was shaking, and every once in a while, wisps of strange golden smoke would come out of his mouth. That concerned me. I was sure that something was wrong, besides the alcohol, but I didn't know what. What was he dreaming about that caused his strange sleep and breath?

Then I turned and reached towards Jessica, shaking her awake. She jerked alert. "Ah! What… Am I dead? The last thing I remember…"

"You aren't dead," I said, impatiently. "Get out of the car."

"Why? Where am I? Did you kidnap me? What's going on?"

I sighed. "Look, I'm tired. Percy and I spent all night trying to protect you, we're not going to do you any harm. Just, please, get out of the car. Everything will be explained."

Jessica hesitated, but I gave her my best death glare and she got out of the car. Then I got out, and went over to Percy's side of the back. With effort, I managed to hoist him up and over my shoulder. Half dragging him up Half-Blood Hill, I turned to Jessica and said, "Well come on. The night's getting shorter, and I actually want some sleep tonight."

Grumbling, she followed as we walked up the hill towards the border. The dragon stood guard around the tree that used to be me, and a glittering fleece hung from the lower branches. She yelped when she realized the thing at the base of the tree was a live dragon. I sighed and turned to Jessica. "He won't hurt you. You're a Half-Blood."

"A what?"

"A Half-Blood, Jessica. Chiron will explain when we get to the Big House."

Percy twitched so violently in his sleep that I dropped him. He started spasming on the ground. "_Di immortalis!_" I cursed. Jessica backed away in horror.

"I don't know what's going on," she said, "but you guys are crazy. I'm getting out of here!"

She started running back down the hill to where I'd left the car in the grass. I looked down at Percy, sighed, then dashed after her. She didn't really stand a chance. I was a Hunter. I was immortal and was a better runner than any mortal, even some nymphs. I quickly over took her and stopped her by grabbing one of her arms very tightly. "Jessica! Stop this! Listen to me. This place is the only place you'll be safe. You have to co-operate!"

"Safe from what? You're crazy! Let go of me!"

"Safe from monsters, Jessica. Safe from monsters."

"Monsters aren't real!"

"Do you really believe that?" I asked. "I know what you've been through because we all go through it. No one ever believed you about the monsters did they? So you convinced yourself that they didn't exist. You actually believe the stupid lies you told yourself. But that doesn't matter anymore. The monsters are real, and they're after you. This is the only place where you will be truly safe from them."

She was silent for a moment, like she was trying to break apart the lies she'd told herself. She sighed. "I don't know what to believe anymore. I'm remembering things I haven't thought about in years…"

I let go of her arm and held out my hand. "Look," I said, "I know trusting me is… perhaps a difficult thing to do. But trust me. This will be good for you. Please, come with me. Come to Camp."

She hesitated a moment, then shook my hand. I smiled encouragingly, then walked back over to Percy. His spasming had stopped, but he was shivering uncontrollably and muttering in his sleep. I picked him up and threw him back over my shoulder, struggling to carry him up the hill. Jessica walked silently next to me. We passed over the crest of the hill, and I gazed down at Camp Half-Blood. Honestly, all the coming back and forth I'd been doing, had made me miss Camp a lot. Not enough to quit the Hunters, but a lot. I struggled down the hill and towards the Big House. Chiron sat on the porch in his wheelchair, his hair dishevelled. Nico leaned against the railing next to him. Jessica made it to the porch just before me.

"You must be Jessica," Chiron said as I stumbled onto the porch. "Nico was just explaining the situation to me. Please, show Jessica to her room, Mr. di Angelo."

"Uh, well I'd rather, uh," Nico's eyes darted around. He sighed. "Alright, fine. Come with me?" He asked Jessica. She gave him a weird look, then followed him into the house.

Chiron turned to me. "I thought it best for Jessica to stay in the Big House tonight. No need to wake up the Aphrodite cabin at this hour of the night. Or morning, rather. Take a seat, Thalia. Perhaps you can set Percy on the floor gently for the time being."

I did as Chiron said, and set Percy down carefully as another breathe of golden smoke came out from between his lips. "What does that mean?" I asked Chiron as I sat across the table from him.

He sighed. "I do not know. I assume it has to do with whatever he is dreaming about, but still… troubling. Now, Thalia, please tell me everything."

I sighed and was about to start telling my story, when a blast of hot air hit me from behind. I turned and saw a young girl with auburn hair and a grim expression. It was Artemis. "My lady! What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised and confused.

"I am afraid I am here because charges have been brought against you," she said.

"For what?" I asked.

"Breaking your vow," Artemis said.

I felt my mouth drop open. "Break my vow? Why would I ever do that? I am your loyal lieutenant. When did I-" Then I remember. The party, Ethan, him kissing me… I was going to kill that boy. "No, you've got it all wrong. I didn't… you can't kick me out of the Hunters! Please, my lady, don't."

Chiron wheeled forward. "I believe Thalia is telling the truth, your highness," he said. "I do not think she would break the vow."

Artemis's expression became all the more grim. "I do not think so either, but the fact is that she has kissed a man. This must be dealt with. Thalia, you will be given the chance to defend yourself in the trial, then Erow, who is acting as the prosecution, will present her evidence, and then I shall decide."

Erow. She was always undermining my authority and trying to take control of the Hunters from me. It didn't surprise me that she would be the one leading the prosecution against me. I sighed. "Very well, my lady. When is the trial?"

"Tomorrow," she said. "Erow wanted to hold it tonight, but I told her that I would not have you presenting your defence as tired as you are." She put her hand on my shoulder. "I am sorry, Thalia. You have been an excellent lieutenant. I hope that you are telling the truth."

I looked down, trying to get my anger and sadness under control. "It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow. Where and when?"

"Just outside of Camp," Artemis said. "Tomorrow at noon."

I nodded, still staring at the ground. I felt a rush of wind, and Artemis was gone. I turned to Chiron. "I'll have to tell you what happened another time. If I'm going to be defending myself at a trial, I need to get some rest."

He nodded. "I understand. Good luck, my dear."

I turned and walked towards the cabins. I realized it was perhaps not the best idea to sleep in the Artemis cabin tonight, so I went down to the Zeus cabin. I stared up at the massive statue of my father, glowering down at me like he was saying _Eat Lightning!_ The sound of thunder rumbled through the cabin. I hated this place. I crawled into the alcove where I had slept when I was staying at Camp and went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning I woke early and went to the dining pavilion, just sitting at the Zeus table, waiting for breakfast to begin. Campers arrived slowly but surely, gathering around their tables for breakfast. "Hey," a voice said. I looked up. It was Nico. "Chiron told me about Artemis. I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

I shook my head. "No. This is something I have to do myself."

He nodded. "Well, anyway, I'm sorry. Good luck today, though. I'm sure you'll be fine. Who is this Erow that Chiron mentioned?"

"She's one of the Hunters," I said. "She doesn't really like me, thinks I'm too light on the boy rules. She's been trying to get me removed as lieutenant for ages. Today she might finally succeed."

"She won't," Nico assured me. "You'll do great, I promise."

"Thanks," I said. "Any word on Percy?"

Nico shook his head. "He's still out cold. I told Chiron about that fight with Helen. He thinks that when Helen screamed and he got blasted back, he sustained a near hit to his weak point. He might be out for a while."

"He won't… die, will he?" I asked, worried.

Nico shook his head. "No, he's fine. He just needs rest." He stood there awkwardly for a minute before saying, "Well, I better get going. There are some matters in California I have to go attend to."

"What's going on in California?" I asked, confused.

He cleared his throat. "N-nothing much. Just some things that I need to do for my father and stuff… Anyway, bye. Remember, if you and Percy need me, just use the stone."

Then he stepped into the shadow of one of the columns and disappeared. I wondered what was going on in California, and why he acted to shifty and nervous when I asked about it. I shrugged. If it was important, we'd find out soon enough.

* * *

At eleven thirty I left Camp and proceeded down the hill to where I could see the Hunters gathered. Tents were set up. The wolves were roaming around. I patted a few on the head as I walked through the site. I waved hi to a couple of the Hunters to. I made my way to Artemis's tent. Inside, I found Artemis, several other Hunters, and Erow. She had silvery hair, and wore normal Hunter clothes. She had two mechanical hunting dogs by her side. They were her inventions. She was a daughter of Athena originally, and was extremely intelligent and good at building things.

"Ah, good," Erow said. "Our fearless lieutenant is, for once, not late. I suggest we go ahead and start now. After all, we all have better things to be doing I'm sure. We have a hunt to get back to, and Thalia has men to swoon over."

I threw Erow a dirty look. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"Erow, that was out of order," Artemis said. "Thalia, control your temper."

I took a deep breathe, and the thunder stopped.

"Lady Artemis," Erow began, "as a Hunter, one must swear to forsake men forever. Obviously, we all have different ideas about what exactly this means, as our lieutenant has demonstrated. She has no problem maintaining friendships with men. Now, I feel that this is breaching the terms of the vow, but I have not issued any complaints about it." _That's bull,_ I thought. _You remind me all the time what you think_. "I have not complained about it because she still did not blatantly disobey her vows. That was, until, late last night. She was at a party, you see, and she kissed a boy named Ethan. This is blatantly disobeying her vows. She does not deserve to be our lieutenant. She does not deserve to be a Hunter."

Artemis turned to me. "What have you to say in your defence, Thalia?"

I cleared my throat. "My lady, let me remind everyone present that I have served faithfully under you since I joined the Hunters. I obtained a leave of absence from you in order to help out one of the Lords of the Wild, Grover Underwood. As part of my service to this Lord of the Wild, I, last night, attended a party in order to find a demigod and save her. During the process of the evening, I became sick, and went into a restroom to throw up. As I was leaving, this boy, Ethan, cornered me and forcibly kissed me. I broke away immediately, and caused him an extreme amount of pain and discomfort. He regretted kissing me. I did not kiss him. He forcibly kissed me, and he did not escape unpunished."

Artemis nodded. "I have heard both of your testimonies and will now deliberate on it. Leave me for now."

Everyone left the tent and started mulling around outside. Erow came up to me. "I don't care how it happened, you still broke your vows."

"Erow, you are so… aggravating. Why do you hate me so much?"

Erow laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I do not hate you. I just think that you should step down and let someone more qualified lead the Hunters."

I sneered at her. That's when we heard the roar. Everyone froze and looked in the direction that the roar had come from. Out of the woods emerged a massive dragon made of bronze. It unleashed a torrent of fire onto the tents, blasting several of them to pieces and starting a fire. Everyone jumped up and started running around, either trying to put out the fires or fight off the dragon. Erow and I both summoned our Hunter bows and ran towards the dragon.

It blasted off more fire and we both rolled away from it. Erow ran at the dragon, shooting arrows into its maw. It swung at her with one of its massive bronze feet, and she went flying for several yards before smacking into a tree. She was dazed, and trying to get up, but the dragon loomed over her, fire coming out of its nostrils. I sprinted as fast as I could towards her, getting between her and the dragon. With a scream, I raised my bow up in the air. Thunder rumbled, and a blast of lightning came down from the sky. It struck my bow and arced along its length, blasting into the dragon. The dragon whimpered as electricity arced across its metal frame. One of its eyes exploded. It ran off back into the woods.

I fell to the ground, exhausted. My bow was ruined. It crumpled in my hands. I sighed.

"Thank you," I heard from behind me. I turned. It was Erow. "I would be dead if not for you. I… am sorry."

I stood back up. "It's okay. We should go see if Lady Artemis has reached her decision."

We walked through the blasted camp site as Hunters attended to the wounded. Eventually we made it to Artemis's tent, which was still in perfect condition. Artemis stood outside it in adult form.

"My lady," Erow said. "I would like to contract my suit against Thalia. She saved my life. I cannot ask her to give up her own."

"That is all well and good, Erow, but I have reached my decision," Artemis said.

"And what did you decide?" I asked, kneeling.

"My decision is-"

**AN: Aaaaaaaaaand cliffhanger. Sorry guys, but you'll have to wait to find out whether Thalia stays in the Hunters. Also, just to remind you all, Percy's dreams with Kronos indicate that this is a separate reality, so, you know, don't get upset about things that happen that don't fit with the canon. That's it for now. See you next time.**


	15. Chapter 13

**AN: Hi everyone. So after that last chapter, I gave you a cliffhanger. How exciting! However, this chapter does not pick back up immediately where the previous left off. Sorry about that. Though I didn't state it outright, I left enough evidence for you to make an educated guess about what happened. So this chapter sees a return of Percy as the narrator. So here we go, Percy is back.**

Chapter 13: Nightmares, Stories, and Insane Plans

My dreams shifted almost constantly. Some were normal: going to school without pants, Mrs. Dodds asking me to answer algebra questions while she whipped me with her whip of fire, normal stuff like that. Of course, being a demigod, those weren't my only dreams. In one I saw a blond guy that looked maybe a year younger than me in the ruins of Mt. Othrys, seemingly holding the ceiling, though I knew better. He was holding the sky. He grunted in pain. I wondered how long he'd been holding it for. About half of his hair had turned grey, and as I watched, even more of it turned grey.

Then, out of the shadows, approached a figure in golden armor: Hyperion. I ground my teeth in anger, remembering James dying to resurrect him. "So," the Titan spoke, "this is the demigod that defeated you? He doesn't look like much."

"Let me out and I'll show you just how much I am," the boy growled, glaring up at Hyperion. Something about that angry look reminded me of someone, but I couldn't place it.

Hyperion laughed. "I would gladly face you, Jason, but that doesn't really fit with our plan. Besides, I think he," Hyperion pointed over his shoulder to whoever he had been addressing before, "would be upset at not being able to kill you himself."

"Enough, Hyperion," a voice spoke from the shadows. A figure emerged. His body looked like the night sky. Constellations, stars, and galaxies covered his pitch black body. I had never seen the night sky looking so incredible or terrifying. "Just give him the ambrosia. We need to keep him alive."

Hyperion turned and bowed mockingly to the figure. "But of course, my _lord_. You used to be the least of us. How is it that you are now our leader?"

The _lord_ laughed. "Because, Hyperion, I was the one who went to Mother. You were all afraid. You thought she'd want to take power for herself. But she is perfectly content with letting us take power. It is because of Mother that I am now your leader. Now feed the boy ambrosia, or I'll show you the powers the mother bestowed upon me."

Hyperion scowled, but turned back to the guy he'd called Jason. He pulled out a couple of small squares I recognized as Ambrosia and forced it into Jason's mouth. Jason seemed like he would rather die than let the Titans use him, because he tried to spit out the ambrosia several times, but Hyperion forced him to chew and swallow. Then he pulled out a small canteen and poured Nectar down Jason's throat.

The dream began to shift again. It seemed like they'd be able to make Jason hold the sky indefinitely as long as they kept feeding him Nectar and Ambrosia. That is, as long as they didn't feed him too much at once.

When my dream stopped shifting, I was standing on a beach, staring down the beach to a man, who was facing me with a sinister grin. The gold eyes immediately betrayed it as Kronos, but yet again he looked different, and even more familiar. His hair was wild and black, and he had a closely trimmed black beard. I wish I knew who he reminded me of, but I really couldn't figure it out.

"Jackson," Kronos boomed, "how good to talk with you again." Something strange had happened with his voice. It was no longer _his_ voice. Yes, his voice was there, like a knife concealed under the surface, but there were two other voices combined with his. One I recognized as Luke's, but the other… I couldn't place it, just like I couldn't place who he looked like, but the third voice was eerily familiar. "So, how's the whole, 'I don't care that this time line is due to be erased' thing going for you? Pretty poorly it seems like."

"Why do you care?" I snapped. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Kronos laughed. "Even if I could, I would not. You're just too much fun, Jackson."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"My my, Jackson, you have no manners. One typically waits for the person who initiated the conversation to get to the subject of said conversation. But, very well, to business. Even if you haven't yet figured out the exact nature of our relationship, I know you've figured out that we do have a unique relationship to each other. This relationship can benefit both of us, Jackson. You know this time line is going to end, I told you that."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Well you don't of course, but without a real body, I'm really in no position to lie to you, now am I? As I was saying, you know that this time line is going to end. And it's going to end sooner than you might think. Things are speeding out of control. By Christmas, the reset will occur. You, your friends, your family, your accomplishments, even the gods, will all be reset to the moment you defeated me in August. And then, you might think that what is going to happen in this time line is horrible, but trust me, what awaits you in the other one is unthinkable. What you need is more power. What you need is your memory. If you could maintain your memory from this time line, but more than that, if you were to gain access to unbelievable power in this time line, then your chances against what awaits you in the other will exponentially improve."

"Where are you going with this?" I asked, suspiciously. "You said this would benefit both of us, but I don't hear a benefit for you. And you mentioned your mother last time. Who is she, and what does she have to do with all of this?"

"What benefit would I gain?" Kronos mused. "Well for starters, it would mean you defeating the other Titans in _this_ timeline. I believe I explained to you earlier that I have a particular hatred for them. Trying to take over the world without me, their King? Disgraceful. But beyond that… the end of this time line would mean the death of me. The permanent death. When this time line ends, and time gets reset to the moment you defeated me, I will be left without a means to sustain my life force, and I will be gone. But if you were to accept my offer of helping you to maintain your memories and powers from this time line, then I would survive."

"I don't know," I said, "you being gone forever sounds pretty good to me."

Kronos gave me an ugly look. "So be it, Jackson, but you will see it my way soon enough."

The dream faded.

* * *

I drifted into consciousness slowly, sound being the first sense that returned to me. I became aware of two people arguing, and a third trying to calm both of those voices down. As my consciousness continued to return, I began to recognize them. One of the angry voices belonged to Thalia, and the other belonged to Malcolm, one of Annabeth's siblings. The voice that was trying to calm them down was Chiron. I couldn't make sense of what they were actually saying, though.

Next, I realized that I was lying in a bed, with a soft linen blanket draped over me. It was so comfortable, that I considered going back to sleep, but I decided that I should wake up and figure out what was going on. Speaking of waking up, the next sense that returned to me was taste, which wasn't great. My mouth tasted dry and filled with hot red sand. I tried to make a sound but my throat was too dry.

Finally, I got movement back and I opened my eyes. Malcolm saw my eyes start to open, as he was standing across from the foot of my bed, and said, "He's waking up." Everyone went silent. Finally my eyes opened all the way. Malcolm was standing opposite the foot of the bed I was in, his short blond hair messy and singed at the edges, like he'd just returned from the lava-spewing rock climbing wall. Chiron stood, crouching in full horse form, in the doorway of the room, the ceiling being too low for him to actually stand inside. Thalia was leaning against the wall to my left, glowering down at the ground.

I opened my mouth to try and ask what was going on, but all the came out was a dry hiss of air. I tried to speak again. This time I managed to say, "Water."

Thalia glanced up and reached for my bedside table, grabbing a huge jug of water. She went to pour it in a glass, but I shook my head, indicating that I just wanted the jug. She held it out for me, and I made myself sit up. As the covers fell away from me, I realized that I wasn't wearing a shirt, but I did have gauze bandages wrapping around my midsection. I stared, confused down at it, then reached for the jug of water. I downed half of it in one giant gulp, then cupped some water in my hands and splashed it on my face.

"Better," I managed to croak. My throat was still dry, but bearable now. I looked down at my gauze wrappings. "It seems like I've missed a few things. Would someone care to explain what happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Thalia asked with a frown.

I knit my eyebrows together, trying to think back to before my long stream of dreams. What was the last thing I remembered? Slowly, I said, "We were at the party. I was drinking this Coke that tasted a little funny, but I didn't think anything of it. Everyone there was surprisingly nice, I remember. Then… Helen. She showed up. I tried to attack her, but she was moving so fast. She must have used a spell to speed herself up or something and then… you shot her with an arrow. That's the last thing I remember."

"It's astounding that you remember that much," Malcolm said. "The alcohol content in your blood was well above the intoxication level."

"Alcohol content?" I asked, confused. "But I didn't drink anything with alcohol. All I had was Coke."

"Percy," Thalia started, "Ethan put Rum in it. He thought you wanted Rum and Coke. You were pretty drunk. People weren't being extra nice, you were being extra friendly. Helen wasn't moving super fast, the alcohol slowed down your reaction time. You were moving too slowly."

I cursed. "Damn it. When I get my hands on Ethan, I'm going to punch his lights out."

"If he's alive when I'm done with him, he's all yours," Thalia said with a scowl.

"Why?" I asked. "What'd he do to you?"

"Anyway," Thalia said too quickly, obviously trying to change the subject, "when I hit Helen with the arrow, you managed to cut her in the thigh. She was in a lot of pain, apparently, and she screamed. You got blasted backwards by a wall of forced. You crashed into a lot of things, and took a near blow to your weak point. Or, so we think. We don't actually know where your weak point is." I looked down at the gauze wrapping my mid-section and suddenly felt very exposed. She _said_ they didn't know, but if they didn't, then why was the gauze wrapped around my midsection?

"We don't," Malcolm said, like he knew what I was thinking. "One of the Apollo kids observed that you had several bruises on your lower back, so they wrapped the gauze around it. We don't know where exactly your weak point is."

"Okay," I said slowly, still worried and feeling exposed. "So what happened after that?"

"You were out cold," Thalia explained. "Nico was there, I'm not sure if you remember seeing him, and he helped me get you and Jessica back to the car. Then we drove to Camp. We laid you down in here, and since then you've been sleeping. And boy have you been sleeping. It's noon on Monday."

"What?!" I asked, my voice cracking in my surprise.

Malcolm nodded. "Yes. Annabeth was here from Saturday after noon until 2 A.M. this morning, when Chiron forced her to go back to her dorm at her boarding school so that she wouldn't miss class today. She asked me to tell you that she was worried, and that you need to call her as soon as you get home."

I groaned and leaned against the wall. "I lost two days," I moaned. "And most of today. What about Mom and Paul? And school?"

"I called them," Chiron said, speaking for the first time since I'd woken up. "Your parents understand and just want you to heal. And you needed it, my boy. Gave us a bit of a scare."

"Sorry," I said. "The longer I have the mark of Achilles, the more I think that it's a bad thing."

Everyone was silent for a few moments. Then Thalia shifted her weight, looking at me a little apprehensively. "So, uh… Percy…"

"Here we go," Malcolm said, throwing his hands up. "I'm telling you Thalia, this is a terrible plan. Going through with it would be perhaps the most rash thing you've ever done. You can always get yourself a new spear. Why even bother with this?"

"I _can't_ just get a new spear," Thalia snapped. "It's one of the only things I have left, and I need it back."

"Something happened to your spear?" I asked. I figured that we were approaching the cause of the argument between Thalia and Malcolm.

"It got left behind at the party," Thalia muttered. "I need to get it back, but the police probably found it when they were investigating the damage to Ethan's family's apartment. Helen had used the Mist to make everyone thing she was the Joker or some homicidal maniac dressed as the Joker. She caused a lot of panic. Everyone ran off, and the police were coming. I didn't have time to run back to the rooftop and get my spear back, and by now the police investigation is probably over. They probably took my spear as evidence."

"Okay," I said slowly. "So what is this plan that's causing you and Malcolm to argue so much? I assume it has to do with getting your spear back?"

"Thalia wants to sneak into Police Headquarters to steal it back," Malcolm said. "Which, as I have mentioned, is an insane and terrible plan."

"It's not insane, and it's not terrible," Thalia snapped, glaring at Malcolm. "Malcolm, you're a genius with computers. You could hack the security cameras to cover Percy and I. We could get in, steal a couple of spare cop uniforms, then go down to the evidence locker and steal back my spear."

"You're asking me to hack into the security system of Police Headquarters," Malcolm said. "You would have me hack it so that you can get in, steal uniforms, and get out with your spear without leaving behind evidence. These are felonies Thalia. If we get caught, we're all old enough to be tried as adults. We could go to prison."

I sat in the bed thinking a little. This was a dangerous plan, but I understood where Thalia was coming from. If I lost Riptide, I would be devastated. Even so, this was a pretty crazy plan. But I was Percy Jackson. Since when did I say no to crazy plans? "Alright," I said. "I'm in, Thalia, I'll help you get back your spear."

Malcolm cursed, and Thalia smiled. "Excellent."

"Not excellent," Malcolm sputtered. "Chiron, surely you have something to say to stop them."

"I've already told you," Chiron said wearily, "that this is a decision that I cannot condone or refute. I am your teacher, not your leader or boss. The decision belongs to the three of you."

I looked at Malcolm. "Come on, man," I said. "Help us out here. We need your computer skills. We won't get caught, I promise. And besides, you can't stop Thalia and me from continuing with this plan, and we will get caught without your help. Do you think Annabeth would forgive you if you let me get sent to prison?"

"Actually," Malcolm said, "I think Annabeth would kick both of you from here to Timbuktu if she heard about this crazy plan." He sighed. "But fine. You're right about one thing. If you do this without me, you'll get caught, and we can't have that."

Thalia whooped. "Thanks Percy, thanks Malcolm."

"You're welcome," I said.

Malcolm grunted. "We can't do this plan tonight. Percy needs to take the rest of the day off to rest. Go back to Percy's house. I'll meet you two there at 3 P.M. tomorrow afternoon."

Thalia and I nodded. Malcolm sighed, shaking his head, then went to the door. Chiron got out of the way, and Malcolm left to continue with his day.

Chiron sighed. "As I said, this is your decision, but… I do agree that this is an unwise thing to do."

Thalia raised her eyebrow at Chiron. "Why didn't you side with Malcolm when he was here?"

"It was an argument that you needed to work out without my input," Chiron said. "Please reconsider. I know you're upset about-"

Thalia shook her head. "No, Chiron. I'm going through with this. I'm sorry." Thalia turned to me. "Grab your things Percy, and meet me at the car. It's where we usually park it. We're going back home."

She went past Chiron and walked off. I looked at Chiron. "There's something you guys aren't telling me, isn't there? There's something else going on with Thalia other than just losing her spear."

Chiron sighed. "That is something she will have to tell you in her own time. I have an archery class to go teach. Be careful, Percy."

I nodded. "I will Chiron. Thank you."

He smiled sadly, then trotted off. I swung myself out of bed and found a clean Camp shirt in the corner along with some of my other things, including Riptide. After putting on the shirt and getting my things together, I walked out. I hoped that none of the Half-Bloods at Goode had been attacked today. I'd never forgive myself if one of them got hurt. I also thought about my dreams. The Jason kid looked like he was in trouble. I wanted to help him, but I wasn't quite sure how. It wasn't like I could drop everything and rush to California to help him.

As for my dream about Kronos, I had a sneaking suspicion about just how our relationship worked, and it did not bode well with me at all. I sighed as I got close to my car. I didn't know whether to believe Kronos about this time line ending, but he was right about one thing. Events were speeding up and going out of control.

When I reached the car, I heard Thalia blasting the Heavy Metal she usually played when she was upset about something. I got in on the passenger side and glanced at Thalia. "There's something you're not telling me," I said over the music. "What's wrong?"

Thalia shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Percy," she answered. "Let's just get back home."


	16. Chapter 14

**AN: Hello again. So, in this chapter and the next, the featured demigod was created by person127. In the next couple of chapters, we are going to see Percy and Thalia break into Police HQ, so that's pretty exciting. Anyway, thank you person127, and I hope that everyone enjoys the chapter.**

Chapter 14: Zaria (The Heist – Part 1)

Tuesday morning rolled around, and I got up quickly. The previous night, I had taken off the bandages and gone to bed early. The result of sleeping all weekend and last night renewed my energy. I was back in shape and not as miserably tired as I had been recently. After showering and changing, I went into the kitchen and popped some bread in the toaster, replaying the plan. Last night, Thalia and I had talked about it, and decided that police HQ probably had a locker room where we could find extra uniforms. All we had to do was get back to the locker rooms, which probably weren't civilian access. Hopefully Malcolm would have a more thought out plan (he was a son of Athena, after all) when he arrived this afternoon.

Thalia came in a few minutes later wearing all black. Thalia wore a lot of black, but usually she didn't wear black exclusively. I figured that she was probably in a bad mood, and I wondered again what she wasn't telling me. I shook my head as I spread blueberry jam on my toast and went to sit at the kitchen table.

Thalia noticed. "What are you shaking your head at?" she asked.

"Nothing," I lied. "Just uh... thinking about my dream."

"What was it about?" Thalia asked.

I cleared my throat. "I uh… died," I lied. "I had died, and Nico had come to DOA Recording Studios to talk to me."

"Morbid stuff," Thalia commented as she sat across from me with a bowl of cereal.

Truth was, I hadn't had a dream, but I didn't want Thalia to know that I had been shaking my head at whatever her problem was. I wanted to know; I wanted to help. Then again, it was Thalia's problem, and she would have to deal with it. _Besides_, I reminded myself, _I've been keeping my dreams about Kronos a secret_. That train of thought brought to mind the phone call I'd had with Annabeth the previous afternoon. She was relieved to hear that I had woken up finally. We talked for a while, but she had to go to dinner, so we said goodbye. It had happened again. As we were about to end the call, Annabeth started to say something, hesitated, then said bye and hung up. She was keeping something from me too. Thalia had told me not to worry about it, that she knew what Annabeth wasn't telling me, but I couldn't help but worry about it. Was Annabeth unhappy? Was she thinking of breaking up with me? Lost in these thoughts, I didn't hear Thalia speaking until she waved her hand in front of my face.

I looked up. "Huh?"

"Clear the seaweed out of your ears," Thalia said sarcastically. "I was saying that if we have to save anyone today, we're going to have to bring them back here until we get my spear back."

"Oh," I said. "Right, I agree." I glanced at the clock on the oven. "We should probably get going. I'll drive."

Just like that, we were in the car and on the way to school. We spent most of the time speculating about what we were going to have to do tonight, and thinking of anything we might need to bring with us, just in case. When we pulled into the parking lot, we stopped. We couldn't have the students at Goode hearing that we were going to rob police headquarters.

* * *

We took our usual seats in the back of homeroom and watched the other kids file in. I spotted Ethan. He didn't look so great. One of his arms was in a sling, and his nose was bent crookedly. On top of that, he just looked depressed. Having a homicidal maniac attack your house could do that to a guy. He sat near the front, which was weird. "Ethan doesn't look too great," I commented. "I wondered what happened to his arm and nose."

"That was me," Thalia growled. "And he's lucky that there are others around, or those injuries would not be the only ones he's sporting."

I raised an eyebrow. I decided to risk it. "You're not telling me something. Something happened at the party with you and Ethan. What was it?"

"Please, Percy," Thalia said, turning to me, "just drop it, okay?"

"But-"

"I said drop it!" Thalia snapped.

I shut my mouth. It had been a bad idea to ask her about it. We sat in silence for a few minutes as more of our classmates filed in. Then, over the intercom, the announcements started. A voice came on, but it wasn't Helen's. It was the lady who did the announcements last year who always sounded like she was on the verge of having a stroke.

"Hello, everyone," she said. "Today is Tuesday, September twenty-second. A reminder to everyone that today in your gym class you will be running the mile." Several groans filled the room at that, including mine, but then I turned to Thalia as the lady started talking about Marching Band practice being cancelled.

"Why do you think that Helen isn't doing the announcements?" I asked.

Thalia shook her head, looking mystified. "I don't know Percy. Hopefully it's because we hurt her so bad that she decided to take the week off."

"Wouldn't that be great," I said. "Maybe she just decided to give up altogether."

"That would be amazing, but I doubt that she would give up while Echidna is still the principal." I sighed. As the announcements finished up, people started gathering their bags and books. The bell rang, and Thalia and I stood up, heading for the door. Thalia turned to me before she went off in the direction of her first class. "Even if Helen is taking the day, or the week, or whatever off, keep your eyes open. Obviously it's ideal if we don't have to save anyone today, but with our luck…"

I nodded, then trekked off, ready to go about my day.

* * *

I stood outside on the track in my gym clothes. Freshmen and Sophomores had gym together, and we also got the worst times in the day for gym class: early in the morning, right after lunch, or the last period of the day. And so, there I was, about to run the mile in my last class of the day. I glanced around at the faces around me. Normally the Freshmen/Sophomore gym classes were separated by gender (like the girls would do one thing and the guys would do something else), but not on mile day. As such, I was seeing the other half of my gym class for the first time this year. One girl in particular surprised me. She was a Freshman (Freshwoman?) with curly redish brown hair and _purple eyes_. At first, I thought she might be that Andromeda girl in disguise again, but then one of the gym teachers doing roll call said, "Zaria!" to which this girl said, "Here."

Zaria? The name rang a bell, but I couldn't place it. I reached into my gym shorts where the list of demigods was, but before I could pull it out, the whistle was blown, and I started running. I hated the mile. I was never that great a runner. I was fine over short distances, and if something was chasing me, my adrenaline carried me, but this, the mile? Well it was just torture.

I think that the Zaria girl lapped me once, but the mile was too long for me to really pay much attention. I crossed the finish line at the seven minute mark, a new personal best, then went to the locker room to shower off and change. Afterwards, I waited outside the locker rooms, where I consulted the list of demigods. Sure enough, I found Zaria. She was the daughter of Aurora, goddess of the sunrise, apparently. Luckily, the school day was almost over. If she wasn't attacked in the next fifteen minutes, she could live a few more days not knowing the truth about herself. After a few minutes, Zaria came out of the girls locker room. She wore a very bright orange t-shirt, and jeans, which ended in a pair of very tall boots. A dark hoodie was slung over her arm.

I glanced at her quickly, and our eyes locked for a brief instant. Suddenly, I was full of energy, having recovered all the energy I lost running the mile. Interesting…

Zaria came up to me. "Why do you keep looking at me?" she asked. "I saw you look over at me out on the track, too. You some kind of creeper or something?"

"No," I said, defensively, standing up. "I just uh…" I was thrown by the fact that she was as tall as I was, and lost my train of thought.

"It's fine," she said, chuckling. "I was kidding. Your name is Percy right? You're Mr. Blofis's step-son?"

"Yeah," I answered with a nod.

"I'm Zaria," she said. "So, wanna tell me why you kept looking at me? Do you have a crush on me or something?"

"No," I assured her, "nothing like that. I have a girlfriend. No you just… reminded me of someone." That last part was half true. She did look a little like Andromeda. I didn't mention the whole demigod thing. No sense telling her before it was necessary.

She nodded, leaning up against the wall. "Fair enough. So, Percy, I have a question for you."

"Okay…"

"When you first met your step-father… did you call him Mr. Blowfish behind his back?"

I burst out laughing. "Yes," I said. "How did you know?"

She shrugged, chuckling a little. "You seem a lot like me, I guess. And that's what I call him when he's not around."

The bell rang, signalling that students could go to their lockers, and that there were five minutes before school officially ended.

Students started bustling around. "Well I'll see you later," Zaria said, heading off with a couple of her friends. I waved, then headed for my locker. Thalia met me there.

"What was your time on the mile?" she asked.

"Seven minutes," I said, some pride in my voice. "The best time I've ever gotten on the mile."

"Really?" Thalia asked. "That's the best time you've ever gotten? I got five minutes and fifteen seconds, and that's slow for me."

"Well maybe you should join the track team next semester," I said irritably.

"Hopefully we'll be done with this by then," Thalia said, "and I won't need to be here next semester."

The bell rang again, signalling that it was 2:30 and that school was over. Thalia and I headed off towards the front door, trying to hurry. Malcolm said he'd be at my house at three, and we didn't want to be late. Unfortunately, as we passed by the auditorium, we heard a scream. We both turned slowly towards the stage door. Apparently most people thought that it was a drama club rehearsal, but I wasn't so sure. I recognized the voice that screamed, after all. It was Zaria.

I sighed. "We should probably check it out."

Thalia nodded. "Malcolm will be upset that we're late, but if someone's in trouble, we need to help."

We ducked in the stage door, and went out onto the stage. Zaria was backed up against the back wall, dodging slashes from the claws of a massive lion.

"Really?! The Nemean Lion! Come on!" I exclaimed, but Thalia and I dashed out, getting between Zaria and the Lion. I brandished Riptide, and the Lion backed away. Thalia held out a knife that she must have stashed inside her sleeve.

"Hey, Percy," Zaria said. "Um… thanks for coming, but… what's going on?"

"You know her?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah," I said, not taking my eyes off the Lion, who, for now, was staying back. "She's in my gym class. Thalia, this is Zaria, she's the daughter of Aurora. Zaria, meet Thalia, my cousin."

The Lion took that moment to charge. Thalia grabbed Zaria, and dove aside. I lashed Riptide out in an arc, catching the Lion's swipe. I stabbed at his mouth, but he was keeping it clamped shut. We parried back and forth for a bit, until Thalia came in, catching the Lion's attention. The three of us fought like that for a few minutes.

"No offense, Thalia," I said as I parried a swipe from the Lion's paw, "but you're not doing any good with that knife. Get out your Hunter's bow. I'll get him to open his mouth."

"I can't," Thalia said.

"What do you mean you can't?" I asked. "Just do it!"

"I can't!" Thalia spat. Our argument had, unfortunately, distracted Thalia. The Lion caught her with a swipe, and she went flying, landing on the opposite side of the stage, her knife clattering out of her grip. I tried to block the Lion from her, but he sent me tumbling backwards with the back of his paw. I hit the table that the drama club was using for props on one of the bruises from my fight with Helen. Pain stunned me, and I fell down. I looked up. The Nemean Lion stood over Thalia now, opening his mouth to eat her. Just then, I saw Zaria dashing in, holding Thalia's knife. She dove on top of Thalia and stuck the knife in the Lion's open mouth.

It roared in pain, dissolving, leaving behind his glittering golden pelt. I regained the ability to move and stood, shaking. Zaria was helping Thalia get to her feet. "Thanks," Thalia said. "You saved me, kid."

"No problem," Zaria said. "Just, you know, scared half to death by a massive lion who wasn't getting hurt by your guys' weapons. Speaking of which, what the hell is going on?"

"It's a bit of a story," I said.

"And we're going to have to explain on the way," Thalia said. "We're going to be late as is. Malcolm already doesn't want to do this. I can't imagine us being late will improve his mood at all."

I nodded. "Zaria, I know we just met, but you need to come with Thalia and me."

She looked between us for a few minutes and sighed. "Alright. Someone needs to save you two if another one of those lions attacks, anyway."

I picked up the Nemean Lion skin. "Here," I said, handing it to Zaria. "It's yours, you defeated it."

As she held it, it transformed into a golden jacket. She slung it over her shoulder. "Thanks, I guess?"

"Keep the knife too," Thalia said. "But, come on, we really have to go."

* * *

We dashed out to the car as fast as we could. I jumped in the driver's seat, Thalia leaped in the passenger's side, and Zaria climbed in the back. As we pulled out of the parking lot and into busy traffic, Thalia and I started explaining about gods and monsters and half-bloods to Zaria. She listened intently, asking questions from time to time.

"I'm not saying that I believe all of it," she said as we pulled onto our street, "but it does explain some of the things I've noticed that no one else ever seemed to." She paused. "One last question, you guys keep talking about someone named Malcolm. Who is Malcolm?"

"He's another half-blood," Thalia said. "He's helping us out with something tonight, which is why you're staying at Percy's house until we're done. Then he'll take you to Camp. He has to head back there tonight anyway."

"What's he helping you with?" Zaria asked as we parked.

Thalia and I glanced at each other. I turned the ignition off. "Well…" I started. "Thalia's spear was lost, and we have reason to believe that it's in the evidence locker at police headquarters. He's going to help us break in and steal it."

"Wait," Zaria said, "you two are going to break into police headquarters?"

"Yes," Thalia said.

"I can help," Zaria said.

"Thanks," I said, "but I don't think we really need any help. We're all set."

"No," Zaria said. "I have to go. My dad is in charge of the homicide unit. I need to tell him where I'm disappearing to and tell him about all this weird stuff with gods."

"That's probably not a good idea," Thalia said, getting out of the car. I followed suit, Zaria right behind us.

"Listen, the evidence locker is in the no civilian access area. You two will never get past the lobby. It'll be full of officers. But if I tell them I'm going in to see my father, and that you two are a couple of my friends, then I can get you in. Then you just say that you need to go to the bathroom and sneak off. You can get your spear, and I can talk to my dad."

We had been walking up the stairs this entire time. At that point, we were at the door to our apartment. "I don't know," I said. "It seems like it might be kind of dangerous."

I opened the door. Malcolm was sitting on the couch wearing all black. His blond hair was neatly combed, and he was drinking lemonade. My mom sat in the chair across from him. They were chatting. Malcolm looked up at us.

"Ah," he said, "look who decided to show up." He glanced at a watch he had on his wrist. "Half an hour late, you two."

"Well," mom said, "I'll leave you kids to whatever you're up to."

"Thank you for the hospitality," Malcolm said respectfully. Mom smiled at him, then went off to the study, probably to work on her novel. "And who is this?" Malcolm asked, glancing at Zaria.

"I'm Zaria," she said. "I know about your plan, and I can help." She explained her idea to Malcolm who nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes," he said. "I like it."

"You can't agree to letting her help," Thalia said. "She's just discovered who she is! It's too dangerous."

"If you'll remember," Malcolm said, "I thought this whole thing was too dangerous, but you two roped me in. I think that miss Zaria here holds the key to our success. I am a son of Athena, after all. I'm the one who comes up with the brilliant plans, I'm the one who's going to hack into the security, and I say that Zaria helps out."

Thalia and I looked at each other, sighed, then said, "Fine."

"Good," Malcolm said, clapping his hands together. He pulled a backpack out from behind the couch, setting it on the coffee table. "Let's get down to business."


	17. Chapter 15

**AN: Well you didn't have to wait long for the part two at all, now did you? So this is the conclusion to the last chapter, and the end of the mini-story arc that is retrieving Thalia's spear. Also, it's chapter fifteen, and you know what that means! Or maybe you don't. Well, if you haven't noticed, after every fifth chapter, there is an interlude from the point of view of someone that's not usually part of the story. So yes, I am also posting an interlude today. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 15: Andromeda Returns (The Heist – Part 2)

Malcolm opened his backpack and started pulling things out; a laptop, small earbuds, papers with plans on them, and so on. "So," he said, "here's the newly revised plan. I need to find a way to access their computer system if I'm going to hack security and erase the evidence of your presence there." As he spoke, he booted up the laptop. "Now, this won't be easy. I can't just waltz inside and ask if I can take a look at their computer surveillance system." He pulled out a sheet of paper on which a map from Google Maps had been printed. "As you can see from this map, the main Police Headquarters is huge, taking up this entire plaza. Across the street is-"

"That Rite Aid?" I asked, pointing at a little label that said Rite Aid.

"No," Malcolm said. "I was talking about to the south."

"The Murry Bergtraum High School," Zaria said. "I almost went there, right across from my Dad's office. But it wasn't… Goode enough for me." Thalia and I snickered at her pun, but Malcolm just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, the High School. Obviously the security at a High School isn't going to be anything compared to the Police Plaza." He pulled out a schematic showing a bunch of lines in different colors going across the area of Manhattan we were dealing with. "This is the grid showing linked sewage, power, and cable lines in this part of the City. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, they all run underground. You can't very well have massive bunches of power lines in Manhattan. Now tell me, what do you see?"

I stared at the map blankly, having no clue. Thalia looked just as confused and frustrated. Suddenly, Zaria gasped. "The line providing internet access to the Police Plaza runs right underneath the High School!"

Malcolm smiled. "I'm glad someone got it. Yes. So, here's the plan. I'll infiltrate the High School and find a way to access the power lines. There's probably someplace on campus where I can. Then I'll splice myself into the internet cable and use the Police Plaza's own network to hack their security system. Once that's done, I'll contact you three, using these." He pointed out the earbuds. "Small communication devices. Put one in your ear, and we'll be able to talk. If you wanna talk to someone, just press down on it with your finger and your voice will be broadcast to everyone through these devices." He glanced at Zaria. "Luckily I brought a walkie talkie too, so I can use that, and you can use the earbud I was going to use."

"So when you hack into the security system, you'll contact us," Thalia prompted.

"Yes," Malcolm said. "When I do that, it's your cue to go in. Unfortunately, I couldn't obtain schematics of the interior of the building, but hopefully, when I hack into the security system, I'll be able to get a pretty good idea of where everything is. You two will follow Zaria towards her Dad's office, then, when you get close, ask Zaria where the bathroom is. Zaria, you point in the actual direction of the bathrooms. Thalia, that's your cue to head out."

"Why not both of us?" I asked.

"Because, Seaweed Brain," Malcolm said, apparently having picked up my nickname, "you're of the opposite sex of Thalia, if you hadn't noticed. You can't both go to the bathroom at the same time."

"Oh," I said, as Thalia snickered, "right."

"So," Malcolm continued, "you follow Zaria into her dad's office. You need to stay there for five minutes. At the end of the five minutes, you excuse yourself to check on Thalia. Thalia, you will have been in the bathroom that whole time. When Percy is in position outside of the bathroom door, I'll radio you. You come out, and then I'll point you and Percy in the right direction. Hopefully the locker rooms won't be far. Then it's just a matter of getting a couple of spare uniforms and changing. Once you two are in uniform, it's time to get moving. I would prefer it if you don't speak to anyone, but if you have to, Thalia needs to do the talking."

My eyebrows knitted together. At risk of being called a Seaweed Brain again, I asked, "Why shouldn't I talk?"

"Because your voice is still cracking," Malcolm said shortly.

"It is not!" I said, my voice cracking. My face burned as Thalia and Zaria burst out laughing and Malcolm flashed me a smirk.

"Like I said, your voice is cracking. Let Thalia do the talking. When you get down to the evidence locker is where the issues start. You'll need some form of Police ID to get into that section, probably via scan card. If so, I can hack the system and pick two random officers to enter into the system as having gone into the evidence locker. If not, I'll think of something. Hopefully, Thalia's spear will be easy to find. I mean, how many spears could the NYPD have, anyway? When you do find it, collapse it into Mace Canister form, slip it into your pocket, and leave. Return to the locker room as fast as possible, take off the uniforms and put them back where you found them, then meet Zaria back at her dad's office. Hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, we'll be in and out in under an hour. Then I can go back to Camp and try to forget this whole ridiculous escapade."

"You really thought this out," Thalia said, impressed. "How'd you manage to change your plan to fit Zaria in?"

"It actually made the plan a whole lot easier," Malcolm said. "In the original version, you two snuck into the locker room via the sewer, then left in your stolen cop uniforms. This is much better."

"No kidding," I muttered. "So what exactly will you be doing besides directing us around?"

"Erasing you from the system," he explained. "When Thalia goes into the bathroom, I'll make sure she isn't seen coming out. Same thing with you and Zaria's dad's office. It gets trickier though. I'll need to plant false footage of Thalia returning from the bathroom. If the footage shows you coming from someplace else, or not returning at all, it'll look suspicious. I think I can manage it, though. Also, I'll be keeping an eye on things, such as where you guys are and what's going on with other cops in the area."

"Well this sounds like something from Sly Cooper," Zaria said. Upon seeing our blank looks, she said, "It's a series of video games where you play as this master thief. It's really fun."

"So," Malcolm said. "Is everyone clear on the plan?" We all nodded. Malcolm packed up his back pack, grabbed his computer (which he had apparently booted up for no reason) and said, "Then let's get going."

* * *

Thalia, Zaria, and I sat in my car, which was parked at St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church (Malcolm had explained that we couldn't park too close for fear of it looking suspiscious) waiting for the word from Malcolm to move out. I fiddled with my earbud. It was uncomfortable and felt heavy in my ear.

"Stop messing with it," Thalia scolded, interrupting herself as she answered one of Zaria's questions about Camp Half-Blood.

I grumbled but stopped messing with it. The urge to mess with it didn't go away, so I occupied my hands by drumming on the steering wheel.

"Really, Percy?" Thalia snapped.

"You told me to stop messing with the earbud," I said in defence, "and you know that I'm ADHD. I need to do something."

As Thalia started to respond, Malcolm's voice came over the earbud channel. "Okay, I've hacked into the security system. You guys are good to go."

The three of us climbed out of the car and began the walk to the Police Plaza. When we arrived, Zaria smiled at the guy working the entrance gate, and just like that, we were in. "That was way too easy," Malcolm's voice said. "That's the security? I thought she'd at least have to show some kind of ID." We just kept walking, following Zaria towards the doors. "Hey, you three," came Malcolm's voice again, "start talking or laughing or something. Act like friends, you're being totally suspicious."

Thalia pressed her earbud. "How can you tell? You can only hear things when we press these earbuds."

"Yes," he said, "but I can see from the exterior cameras that the three of you aren't talking at all. Now talk!"

"And so," Zaria started as we went into the doors and into the lobby, "Mr. Blowfish told us all that we didn't have to take the test after all."

"That's great," Thalia said. "I wish my teachers were as nice as that."

"Yeah," I said, catching on. "I don't think Mrs. Dodds is human."

"She definitely isn't," Zaria agreed. _If only you knew,_ I thought.

Soon, we were in the office space for the Homicide Unit. "Okay," Malcolm said. "Thalia, you're on. Ask where the bathroom is."

"Hey guys," Thalia said, "I'll catch up with you later. Zaria, can you point me in the direction of the bathroom?"

"Of course, Thals," Zaria said. Thalia's eye twitched in annoyance, and I saw her grind her teeth ever so slightly. I snickered internally. I'd have to remember to use Thals when I wanted to annoy her. Zaria pointed Thalia off towards the bathroom, then led me to her dad's office. She knocked on the door, then, without waiting for a response, opened the door.

The office was nice and brightly lit. The man sitting behind the desk looked about forty, with redish brown hair like Zaria that had streaks of grey in it. He looked up, his blue eyes glancing questioningly at me, before saying, "Hey, sweetie. Who's this?"

"This is my friend, Percy," Zaria said. "He wants to be a police officer someday, so I told him that I could arrange for him to meet you."

He cracked a smile and stood up, coming over to me. He stood a good five inches taller than me, and had lean, well-toned muscles. "Do you now? Nice to meet you Percy. My name is Frank Hill." He held out his hand for me to shake.

I took it, shaking his hand, "It's a pleasure, Mr. Hill."

"Please," he said, "call me Frank."

"Frank then," I said. "Zaria has told me a lot about you."

He laughed, "Oh I'm sure. Hopefully you won't believe all the horror stories she must tell you." He winked, and Zaria cracked a smile. Frank went back towards his desk and sat on the edge of it. "So, do you have any questions for me?"

"Yes sir," I said. "I was wondering, in your opinion, what's the hardest part about being a cop?"

"The hardest part," he mused. "There are a lot of hard parts, kid, but the hardest part of my job is telling a family that someone they love has died. It's necessary, but it's still awful. I have to tell them that their son or daughter or sister or mother or father is dead, and then I have to question them about their dead family member's life."

"Wow," I said. "Yeah, I guess I'd never really thought about it like that before."

"It's tough," he said. "I can only hope to give them closure. Find out why their loved one died, and if they were killed, bring the killer to justice."

I nodded, thoughtfully. Malcolm's voice came over the communication channel. "Time to go get Thalia," he said.

Zaria turned to me, "Percy, Thalia's been gone a while, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "I'll go check on her. Which way are the bathrooms?"

"Down the hall, to the left," Zaria said.

"Thalia?" Frank asked.

"My cousin," I explained briefly. "Sorry, I'll be right back."

I left the office, proceeding to the bathroom. Now was the time for Zaria to tell her father about being a demigod. Hopefully she wouldn't tell him too much about why Thalia and I were there too…

I arrived at the bathroom just as Malcolm was saying, "Okay, Thalia, you're good to go."

Thalia came out of the bathroom, "Hey there Percy," she said. Then, under her breathe, she added, "So far, so good."

"Stop wasting time, you two," Malcolm reprimanded. "Get going. I'll direct you to the locker room, but you've gotta hurry. There are two officers coming your direction."

Thalia and I set off at a somewhat brisk pace, following Malcolm's directions to the locker room. We ducked inside just as two officers were about to round the corner. "That was close," I muttered.

Thalia nodded. "Okay, you two," Malcolm said, "I've lost visual. Obviously they didn't install cameras in the locker room. If you can, just put on your cop uniforms over your regular clothes. That way you don't have to leave them in the locker room, speeding up our get away."

Thalia pressed her finger onto the earbud, "Chill out, Malcolm, you're taking all the fun out of it."

Malcolm began ranting about how invading Police Headquarters, was not, in any way, fun as Thalia and I explored the locker room carefully, trying to find some spare uniforms. Eventually, we found them, and pulled them on over the clothes we were wearing. I pressed my earbud, "Okay, we're in uniform, Malcolm."

"Good," he said, cutting off his rant. "Exit the locker room and turn right."

We did as we were told and followed his directions to the evidence locker. It wasn't really a locker, but more of a small warehouse. There was a chain link fence blocking the main section off from the entry area. Luckily, as Malcolm had predicted, it was swipe card entry.

"Excellent," Malcolm said. "Give me a moment while I find someone to register into the system as having swiped in… got it."

There was a buzzing sound, and a light next to the gate blinked green. Thalia pulled it open, and we walked into the main section of the evidence locker. We wandered the rows of shelves, looking for her spear. As I was about to suggest that we split up, Thalia said, "There! Found it!" She rushed off, and I followed. Sure enough, lying on a shelf, was Thalia's spear, still expanded in full form.

She pulled out her mace canister lid and slapped it on the top, the spear instantly collapsing. "I really wish this thing returned automatically, like Riptide," Thalia commented, but she was smiling widely, glad to be reunited with her spear.

"Yes, that would be convenient, indeed," said a voice. Thalia and I spun around. Standing behind us was a young woman with red hair and purple eyes. She wore full length white robes on which several runes were drawn. It was Andromeda.

"Where did she come from?" Malcolm sputtered.

"Where did you come from?" Thalia repeated. "And who in Hades are you?"

"Oh, I'm sure Percy has told you about me," she said. "The name is Andromeda, daughter of Trivia, or Hecate as you know her. As for where I came from, I've been following you all day, invisible. That's what one of these runes was for. Quick spell access. No need to speak an incantation or use relics, just press the rune, and you can access the spell. For example:" she pressed one of the runes on the sleeve of her robe and a ball of fire appeared in her hand, which she blasted behind her, blowing a massive hole in the wall. Instantly alarms started blaring. Malcolm began cursing, frantically telling Zaria the situation, but I tuned him out and drew Riptide. Thalia pulled out her newly retrieved spear.

Andromeda laughed. "Oh no, I'm not going to fight you. That's not my style. No, I thought I'd leave you some friends to play with." She pressed several runes in quick succession, and out of the ground sprouted an army of Empousa. "Empousa, servants of Trivia, but also servants of her children." Andromeda chuckled. "Kill the girl, but leave Jackson here alive for my sister." She pressed another rune, and suddenly she was gone.

The Empousa charged forward, and Thalia and I swung into combat. It was intense. All of them carried weapons of some kind, and all of them looked pretty angry. I think I recognized one of them as Kelli, but I wasn't sure. Pretty soon, Thalia and I got separated by the horde of Empousa. I swung Riptide in wide arcs, made whild stabs, ducked, rolled, and parried, but Andromeda's army was larger than I'd thought. There always seemed to be more. I was tiring out. I heard Thalia grunting off somewhere to my left as she fought the Empousa too. I realized they were trying to kill her, not me. I waded my way through the enemy in her direction. I caught sight of her. She yelled, and raised her spear up into the air.

"Percy, get down!" I registered Malcolm yelling. I hit the ground as Lightning shot through the hole in the wall, connected with Thalia's spear, and blasted the Empousa to dust in a wide circle around her I stood, and saw that that had done the trick. All the Empousa were done for. I walked over to Thalia, smiling.

"Nice job," I said.

She smirked. "What did you expect?" Then, her face got a look of fear, and she and Malcolm said simultaneously, "Percy, behind you!"

I started to half turn, catching sight of an Empousa that had slipped by without my notice lunging forward with her spear. Before I could react, there was the sound of a gunshot, and the Empousa, a look of surprise on her face, dissolved to dust. I turned. Standing behind us were Zaria and her father, who held a revolver. "Stay away from my daughter's friends," he said.

"Holy crap," I said. "Mr. Hill… Frank… what… how… whoa."

"Celestial Bronze bullets," he explained. "Don't worry, kids, you don't have to explain. I'm mortal, but I can see through the mist. I know all about monsters and Half-Bloods and gods. I knew that Zaria's mother was a goddess. I wish you had told me why you were really here, but I understand why you didn't. Mortals with Sight are rare, and you couldn't just tell me for fear that I would think you were crazy."

He looked sadly at Zaria. "I knew the day would come when you found out who you really were. And I knew that when you did, you would become more noticeable to monsters. I've kept you safe so far with Celestial Bronze bullets, but now that you know the truth, the monsters will come in full force. You need training." The poor guy looked on the verge of tears. He knew, like my mother knew, that Zaria going to Camp Half-Blood would probably mean they wouldn't be seeing each other for a long time.

"I'll miss you Dad," Zaria said, her voice cracking a little, and they shared a big hug. "I promise I'll come back for Christmas."

"Hopefully," I said, "you'll be able to go back to school in the second semester. By then, Thalia and I hope to have taken care of the monster problem there."

Zaria nodded. "Go," Frank said to all of us. "I'll explain that the explosion was caused by a grenade that hadn't been properly disarmed." Zaria hugged her father one last time. Thalia nodded her thanks, and as I passed, we shook hands again.

"Thank you," I said. "You're a really great guy. Zaria is lucky to have you as her father."

"Thank you, Percy," he said. "Zaria told me you saved her life earlier today."

I smiled, nodded to Frank one last time, then followed Thalia and Zaria through the hole in the wall.

"So," Malcolm said over the communication channel, "does someone want to tell me what just happened with Zaria's father?"

I pressed my earbud. "He has Sight and can see through the Mist. Meet us back at the car, we've gotta go."

* * *

When we got back to my house, we all just sat around the coffee table eating ice cream in silence. "So," Malcolm said, finally, "I hope you all realize how terrible an idea that was."

"It would've worked fine if not for Andromeda," Thalia said, dismissively.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Next time we steal from Police Headquarters, it'll go off without a hitch." Malcolm's face paled as Thalia, Zaria, and I all laughed. "Kidding," I added. "I promise there won't be a next time."

"Well I don't," said Zaria, causing another round of laughter. This time, even Malcolm joined in. I realized how tense we'd all been during the whole ordeal, and it was nice to finally calm down."

"So," Zaria said, "I see you have a Wii. By any chance, do you have Mario Kart?"

I grinned. "I do. One four way Grand Prix before you and Malcolm go to Camp?"

"You're on," Zaria said. "I call Yoshi."

"Bowser," Thalia said quickly.

"I wanted Bowser," Malcolm pouted. "Well, I guess I'll be-"

"Donkey Kong!" I called out as I started up the Wii.

"Aw, come on," Malcolm said. "He was my second pick." I handed him a Wii remote as the Mario Kart main menu started up. "Fine… I'll be… Rosalina." I shot him a weird look. "What?" he protested. "You guys took my first two picks, and Rosalina is good."

"Whatever you say, Rosalina," Zaria said, snickering.


	18. Interlude - Alabaster

**AN: Hey there. So this is the third Interlude. This one features Alabaster, from the short story Son of Magic. If you haven't read it yet, you should go check it out. It's in the Demigod Diaries. Anyway, here you go.**

Interlude – Alabaster

Alabaster Torrington slammed his locker shut. He hated this. He had fought in a war, for gods' sake, he didn't belong in High School, not after watching all of his friends get slaughtered by the forces of the Olympians, not after being exiled by the gods. He sighed. _Luckily,_ he thought, _tomorrow is a conference day. No school_.

His mother had told him that he should try to blend in as best he could, and that meant going to High School. He hated it. The classes were dull, the food was terrible, and no one seemed to like him. His whole appearance screamed, "You should pick on this kid!" He was tall and lanky, and the freckles splashed across his face made him look childish. If they knew the powers he had, no one would dare pick on him, but demigods weren't supposed to attack mortals, and so Alabaster let himself get picked on, going through his day to day activities hating it all.

As he left the school, his backpack slung over one shoulder, a girl approached him. Alabaster vaguely recognized her as one of the popular girls on the cheerleading team. She was very pretty, with long, strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She looked the part of the stereotypical blonde cheerleader.

"Um, hey," she said to him. "You're like, Alabaster, right?"

Alabaster tensed himself, ready to fend off bullying. "Yes," he said curtly.

"My name is April," she said. "I um, think you're really cute, and I wondered if you, like, wanted to go out tonight."

Alabaster stopped, trying to process the words. "You… want to go on a date with me tonight?"

April nodded. "There's like, no school tomorrow."

"This is some kind of joke," Alabaster said bitterly. "Or maybe a dare or something. You don't really want to go out with me."

"No," April said. "It's not. I like… really like you and stuff."

"And stuff?" Alabaster drawled. "Well, I'm sorry April, but-"

"Oh come on, Alabaster," April pleaded. "You always act so like… lonely in school. You should have fun for once."

Alabaster knew he should turn her down again, but something in her words made him really want to. He sighed, and said, "Okay, sure. Where are we meeting, and when?"

"Like, right now," April said with a smile. She grabbed his hand and dragged him off. Confused as to why he'd said yes, Alabaster followed nonetheless. First they went to a pastry shop where he had a great cinnamon roll, and he and April got to know each other a little better.

Next, April dragged around Main Street for a little while before they went to get dinner. After eating, it was getting dark out. "Hey," April said, "I know this is like… forward or whatever, but my parents are out of town tonight. Why don't we go over to my place?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Alabaster said quickly. "First date and everything." Also, Alabaster was really starting to get tired of her saying "like" in every sentence.

Suddenly, April leaned in and kissed him, full on the mouth. Alabaster was stunned, and he felt his senses getting all muffled and jammed up. April pulled away. She giggled. "You're like a really good kisser. Come on Alabaster, it'll be fine."

"Well, I-"

"Please," April said, giving him a puppy dog stare. Suddenly, Alabaster found himself compelled to agree. And so, April led him off towards her house. When they arrived, she pulled the door open and led the way upstairs to her room. It was fully night by now, and the house was dark. April pushed open the door to her dark room and pushed Alabaster down onto the bed. She climbed on top of him, straddling his waist, and leaned down to kiss him again. We she sat back up, she reached for the lower hem of her shirt. She was about to pull it off, when several things happened at once. Someone snapped, April froze completely, like she had been a robot that was suddenly shut off, and ropes wrapped around Alabaster's ankles and wrists, pulling tight. The lights flicked on, temporarily blinding Alabaster. When He regained his vision, there was another girl in the room. She wore jeans and a plain black t-shirt. One of her arms was in a sling, and she supported herself with a crutch. She had brown hair, and her eyes glowed yellow.

"Alabaster!" she said. "Nice to officially meet you!" Then she seemed to realize April was there. "Oh right, you. Go stand in the corner." April climbed off of Alabaster and went to stand in the corner, her face expressionless. "Face the wall," the brown hair girl said impatiently. April turned around. The girl focused her attention back on Alabaster. "Sorry about that. Do you like the bed? I bought it from a friend of mine named Crusty. He makes the best beds, and they come with built in shackles."

"Who are you?" Alabaster snapped. "What do you want?"

"Well well," the girl said. "Someone is impatient. Very well, Alabaster. Introductions. I am Helen Kazam, daughter of Hecate."

"Impossible," Alabaster said. "I know all of my siblings, and I don't recognize you at all."

Helen laughed. "Of course you don't. As far as the gods are concerned, I died when I was ten. In reality, that didn't happen, as you can obviously see. I became Kronos's secret lieutenant. Very few knew of my existence. Only Luke, Kronos, a few of the other Titans, and Andromeda. You are familiar with Andromeda, yes?"

"Yes," Alabaster said. "She was always good at disguise magic. But she died in the battle for Manhattan."

"No she didn't," Helen said. Trust me, she escaped. But the gods believe she's dead, just as they believed I was dead."

"So you secretly served Kronos? But the war is over. And anyway, I was on your side during it. What's going on here?"

"I'm getting there, little brother," Helen said. "Kronos opened me up to my full potential. I thought you needed incantations, runes, and relics to cast magic, but Kronos showed me the truth. I no longer need incantations to cast magic. Not only that, but I have the ability to _invent_ my own spells now. Take April over there (daughter of Aphrodite, by the way, that's why she was able to convince you to go out with her; she was charm speaking you). She's under the influence of a spell I invented myself. I based it off of the Imperious Curse from Harry Potter. I'm sure you're familiar with it?"

"Yes," Alabaster said, quietly. He was thinking quickly, trying to think of a spell to get him out of this situation.

"Unfortunately, my version of the Imperious Curse has some limitations," Helen continued. "Firstly, I can only cast it on one person at a time. Also, it doesn't work on demigods who are aware of who they are, or mortals who have the Sight."

"So, April doesn't know she's a demigod," Alabaster said. "That's why you were able to use her to charm speak me and lure me here."

"Yes," Helen said. "You catch on quickly, Alabaster."

"_Incantare_," Alabaster started, but Helen let go of her crutch and waved her hand. Alabaster lost his voice completely.

"Nice try, Alabaster," Helen said, "but I am the most powerful magician in the world. More powerful than you, more powerful than those fools in the House of Life, and more powerful than our mother even." Helen snarled. Alabaster was confused. What was the House of Life, and how could a demigod be more powerful than his mother? "Mother. I joined Kronos long before she decided to. Kronos had promised to install me as goddess of Magic under his new world order. He told me that he would dispose of our mother when she had served her purpose." Helen stared down bitterly. Alabaster tried to speak again, but his voice was still gone.

"You're probably wondering, Alabaster, why I hate our mother so much," Helen continued. "Let's just say that she betrayed me in my time of need. But enough about our mother. After Jackson defeated Kronos, I hurried back to Mt. Othrys to find that the Roman demigods had invaded it and destroyed the fortress there. I thought it was over. That was until I was contacted by Krios. He had been defeated by Jason Grace, but he was somehow already regenerating. I do not know how this is possible, but I intend to find out soon enough. But anyway, he proposed a plan in which the Titans would strike again, and where I would become the goddess I so rightly deserve to be." Helen paused, basking in her imagined glory as goddess of Magic.

"Of course," Helen continued, refocusing on Alabaster, "you will be wondering what you have to do with all of this, and why I have lured you here, and why I am holding you hostage. You see, I need two things. The first was to get you out of your house for the evening so I could sneak in and steal some of your potion ingredients. You see, I was running low, and needed to restock, and why go questing to find the supplies when I could just steal them from you? The second thing I need, is to test a new spell. You will remember that I created my own version of the Imperious Curse, but it's not the only spell I based off of ones from Harry Potter. And so, I'd like to introduce you to my version of the Cruciatus Curse."

She took her hand off of her crutch again and pointed at Alabaster. Massive pain arced through Alabaster's body. He felt as if ever inch of him were on fire whilst he was being simultaneously electrocuted. He screamed, the pain from the spell breaking Helen's silencing charm, or perhaps Helen had lifted it purposefully in order to hear him scream. The pain continued, and Alabaster kept screaming, the pain destroying every sense and making him forget who he was. All he knew was the pain. After a few minutes, the pain subsided, and Alabaster lay on the bed, still bound, panting. Slowly, his senses recovered.

"Why?" he panted. "Why… are you… doing this… to me?"

"Well for starters, it's fun," Helen said. "And I really did need to test the spell. Besides, I need you out of the way. You see, I need mother grieving, and what better way than to kill her favourite son?"

"_Incantare_," Alabaster tried again, but once more Helen silenced him.

"The first time was a nice try, but that time was just desperate," Helen scolded. "Honestly, Alabaster, I thought you might be better than that. Andromeda always spoke so highly of you. Oh well." Helen gripped the top of her crutch and it transformed into a sword. She limped forward, positioning herself precisely. "Don't worry, Alabaster," she said. "I'm going to cut your head off. One quick blow. You won't feela thing."

Alabaster closed his eyes.

**AN: And before people leave comments saying that Alabaster can't die yet because the events in Son of Magic haven't happened yet, I will remind everyone that we are in an alternate timeline as heavily discussed in the dreams Percy has featuring Kronos. So what did you think? Got some of Helen's backstory, so that's pretty neat. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it.**


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